Fenians, Brits, Mexicans, Canucks and Frenchies....OH, MY! An alternate American Civil War
- Thread starter Alt History Buff
- Start date
June, 1868
Philadelphia
Despite a crowded field, William Seward would be nominated with relative ease in the Republican Caucus. In truth, his most dangerous potential competitor never showed up.
Ulysses S. Grant had spent nearly two years in Europe with his wife. In the middle of this tour, Grant would be shot by a French madman and spent several months in recovery. He would go on with his tour but return to Italy to testify at the Frenchman's trial. The General would move the Court with a request that the man be treated as ill than a criminal and that the Hanging be put aside as a penalty.
Embarrassed that such a foreign dignitary was injured on their soil, the Italian Court agreed to place the man in an institution. The French Consul, in the awkward position of making sure a national scandal was given a fair trial, was relieved at the judgement and complimented Grant on his mercy.
The Grants were due to return to America when the General suddenly collapsed in Madrid. At first, it was feared he'd contracted Typhoid or some other illness but it would turn out that the assassin's bullet (which had never been removed) had shifted and caused internal bleeding. A local Doctor, ironically an Englishman practicing in Madrid, would proceed with a second surgery to staunch the bleeding and this time remove the bullet.
Grant would spend several months recovering and get to know many of the local Spanish commanders and, most especially, his Doctor.
By the time Grant finally returned to America, the Caucus was over and the General's Presidential ambitions were postponed. Grant had been advised by political allies to absent himself for several months or longer prior to the Caucus so his name would not be associated with any unpopular or controversial positions. This backfired rather spectacularly as the Republicans were not going to select a man for the highest office who may not live to see America again.
Thus, Seward's greatest rival was the intelligent, dignified, hard-working and loyal Vice-President Hannibal Hamlin of Maine. Unfortunately for the latter, Hamlin was also rather bland and less capable of political machinations than Seward.
However, in a bid to gain Party unity, Seward called for Hamlin to remain on the ballot as Vice-President. Well liked, this compromise would easily be accepted by the Caucus as a whole.
In truth, Seward was closer to Hamlin in politics than Lincoln himself. The two were even considered distant friends. The New Yorker would not hesitate to have Hamlin carrying on the Party duty in the Senate.
In the meantime, the Democrats gave the Republicans another gift: After the fiasco in which both Pierce and Buchanan died within days of the announcement that THEY were the new ticket, the Democrats would select former Ohio Congressman Clement Vallendigham for President and another former Ohio Copperhead Congressman George Pendleton as his Vice-Presidential candidate.
With the economy still solid, Seward was felling pretty comfortable with his party's chances in November.
London
The First Lord of the Treasury knew that two great battles were imminent....if they hadn't occurred already. All intelligence reports from France indicated that the Emperor's forces were massing near Marseille for an assault on Corfu (this had, in fact, already occurred).
Also, eight weeks prior, the formal orders for the British forces in India to invade French-held Siam were shipped. If the Commander-in-Chief of India had his forces ready to ship on a moment's notice, it would take less than a week for that fleet to reach Siam (again, this had already happened).
All Disraeli could do is wait. The results of those battles would determine the fate of the war.
The only comfort to be had at the moment was that the last two significant French possessions in the Americas had fallen: Martinique and Guadeloupe.
French Guyana, effectively defenseless, had been sold to the Dutch in the early days of the war. The Dutch Navy, such as it was, was present when the Royal Navy squadron, oblivious to the situation, sailed into Cayenne to find Dutch ships and the Dutch flag flying. The new Dutch governor of the 25,000 soul territory would invite the Royal Navy officers to the first formal dance under Dutch rule.
Later historians would believe that the French Emperor pressed the Dutch to take it to avoid losing face when the Royal Navy inevitably seized the territory. Nominally, the Dutch paid several million francs for the territory but, in reality, the Emperor agreed not to strong-arm the Dutch to his side in the current war.
It would be over a week until Disraeli learned of the battle in the Mediterranean and a nearly six before word arrived of what occurred in Siam.
Ionian Islands
The 2nd battle of Corfu would be even more hotly contested than the first. Having realized the weakness of their armor on several classes of French ironclads, the French attempted to compensate by adding on several more inches of armor....or even hanging chainmail....over the sides of their lighter ships. It was probably better than nothing.
In the age of the ironclads, the adage was quickly passed about that the most powerful navy was the one which had just launched the latest (and most modern) ship. In June of 1868, this was France (the Ocean).
With the ocean leading a fleet of 9 ironclads (all but two of the French Ironclads available for European service in 1868) and 12 smaller or older ships, the French fleet sailed directly for Corfu, arriving on June 3rd.
As expected, the British fleet was waiting with 6 ironclads and 18 smaller or older ships.
There would be no complex maneuvers: the French simply sailed forward and met the British line 20 miles southwest of Corfu.
The Ocean, leading the attack, would badly wound two British ironclads which steadfastly steamed on to return fire at the next French ship in line. The use of steam power had reduced the age-old advantage in British seamanship....but not gunnery. The British were still the most efficient gunners in the world and their navy had replaced the underpowered and prone to jam Armstrong Breechloading cannon with older model but more reliable and powerful muzzleloaders.
In short order, the British accuracy, rate of fire and superior armor was starting to tell. The Province-class Magnanime would suffer a major blow directly below their armored belt and begin to list almost immediately. She fell out of line. Two smaller French ships at the rear of the line would be wrecked and set aflame by British fire.
However, the heavy French guns gave as well as they got. The heavy Minotaur and Black Prince suffered damage and two aged wooden ships of the line were set ablaze.
Within an hour, all order would collapse as the battle became a brawl. The Ocean concentrated on the Black Prince, the second heavy British ironclad ever built and set her ablaze after multiple rounds of the heavy (472 pound) shells penetrated the British ship's hull. Despite a brilliant system of bulkheads, the Black Prince began to take on water.
However, the Ocean would soon meet her own fate as the HMS Northumberland sped forward to plunger her ram into the Ocean's hull. Almost immediately, it was apparent that the French design of isolated compartments did not match the quality of the British. The Ocean would fall away, blasting all the time into the Northumberland.
After 14 hours, the battle ended due to a combination of mutual exhaustion and darkness.
Daylight would find that six French Ironclads had been sunk, burned to the waterline or scuttled in addition to six older ships. Among the lost was the Ocean, which had attempted to sail for home the previous night but would sink off of Italy at midnight. Most of the remaining French fleet had been battered and was running low on coal, powder and shot. The rear Admiral in command would order the French survivors to retreat for Marseille to lick their wounds.
The British, while "holding the field", would suffer as well. The Black Prince, the Northumberland and the HMS Ocean (not the same vessel as the French flagship) would be lost. The Black Prince sank the previous day while the Northumberland, filled with holes, would yield overnight. The HMS Ocean was set aflame late in the battle but the crew had thought to have put them out. However, smoldering embers ignited several shells and a huge hole was blasted in her side. Only a small portion of the crew would be saved before she capsized and sank.
Overall, it was a tactical French victory....but a terrible British strategic defeat for the Russians and Greeks had snuck across to Corfu as the battle waged and landed 6000 soldiers. For several days, the allies pushed forward until they could emplace their heavy guns over the harbor. With the Greek population rising up to assist, the small British garrison knew it could not hold. The base was abandoned and the British steamed out carrying all their personnel.
The returning Royal Navy fleet, battered as it was, immediately forced away the Russian and Greek ships (they didn't pursue) but knew that regaining the actual island would require an invasion force not readily available. Besieging the islands would seem pointless as food supplies were more than adequate to hold on for the time being.
Thus, the British fleet retreated to Malta.
Brest
The Royal Navy was not done yet.
Three British Ironclads had been stationed in the Channel to protect against invasion. By June, the HMS Pallas (which had been in drydock) was fully repaired and the new HMS Penelope had just been crewed.
This brought the British Channel fleet up to five ironclads (to zero for the French) along the channel. Seeing no reason to let them sit, the Admiralty would dispatch all five plus a dozen heavily-gunned wooden ships of the line to Brest, the primary French harbor and base in the region. Most of the French fleet had fled the port earlier in the war so they could consolidate in the Mediterranean. The port was left to her own defense.
This would prove inadequate as the heavy British guns would silence the harbor defenses better equipped for the naval artillery of a previous age. Dozens of merchant ships were taken while the fortifications razed. Though it was not intended, a great fire broke out in the city and burned nearly a quarter of Brest to the ground.
The Atlantic
With the ironclads making the older wooden vessels obsolete in line of battle, both France and Britain deployed many of the smaller, faster vessels towards commerce raiding. As France had few colonies left by 1868 (and losing them all) in the New World, the quantity of French ships sailing to the Americas was lower than one may expect. Still, the British managed to intercept and seize over 150 French vessels in the Atlantic during this time, prize crews gathering cargos of American cotton and Grain, Brazilian sugar and rubber and Argentine hides.
The French, despite having far more targets to choose from among British shipping, would only seize roughly 50 British ships on the high seas. The French would also lose six of these commerce raiders to the Royal Navy while the latter lost only one commerce raider in direct battle with the French.
Morocco
Though the march was arduous, the French would methodically gather supplies in the most narrow coves and harbors throughout Morocco. No doubt the Royal Navy could occupy any space it desired, that was not the same as occupying EVERY SPACE it desired. The rise of the ironclad meant that Britain could not simply blockade a dozen harbors at once. As ironclads were still too few in number, than meant blockading with older, wooden ships. A single enemy ironclad may just as easily destroy the blockading squadron as sailing through it.
Using their fastest merchant vessels, supplies from France followed the French march west.
By Summer, the exhausted French armies had seized all the major cities save Marrakech.
Siam
As the British rather expected, the French did not bother attempting to break the British blockade or halt the inevitable invasion from India.
In June, 8000 British and 7000 Indian (mostly Muslims or Sikhs from Regiments which had been raised with the understanding they may be utilized abroad), were deposited on shore of the Chao Phraya River. The heavy British ships could only sail so far up the estuary. However, lighter British ships were able to silences some of the French gun emplacements along the shoreline.
The French, knowing they could not prevent the initial landing, opted to defend Bangkok in depth.
The battle of Siam had finally begun.
Philadelphia
Despite a crowded field, William Seward would be nominated with relative ease in the Republican Caucus. In truth, his most dangerous potential competitor never showed up.
Ulysses S. Grant had spent nearly two years in Europe with his wife. In the middle of this tour, Grant would be shot by a French madman and spent several months in recovery. He would go on with his tour but return to Italy to testify at the Frenchman's trial. The General would move the Court with a request that the man be treated as ill than a criminal and that the Hanging be put aside as a penalty.
Embarrassed that such a foreign dignitary was injured on their soil, the Italian Court agreed to place the man in an institution. The French Consul, in the awkward position of making sure a national scandal was given a fair trial, was relieved at the judgement and complimented Grant on his mercy.
The Grants were due to return to America when the General suddenly collapsed in Madrid. At first, it was feared he'd contracted Typhoid or some other illness but it would turn out that the assassin's bullet (which had never been removed) had shifted and caused internal bleeding. A local Doctor, ironically an Englishman practicing in Madrid, would proceed with a second surgery to staunch the bleeding and this time remove the bullet.
Grant would spend several months recovering and get to know many of the local Spanish commanders and, most especially, his Doctor.
By the time Grant finally returned to America, the Caucus was over and the General's Presidential ambitions were postponed. Grant had been advised by political allies to absent himself for several months or longer prior to the Caucus so his name would not be associated with any unpopular or controversial positions. This backfired rather spectacularly as the Republicans were not going to select a man for the highest office who may not live to see America again.
Thus, Seward's greatest rival was the intelligent, dignified, hard-working and loyal Vice-President Hannibal Hamlin of Maine. Unfortunately for the latter, Hamlin was also rather bland and less capable of political machinations than Seward.
However, in a bid to gain Party unity, Seward called for Hamlin to remain on the ballot as Vice-President. Well liked, this compromise would easily be accepted by the Caucus as a whole.
In truth, Seward was closer to Hamlin in politics than Lincoln himself. The two were even considered distant friends. The New Yorker would not hesitate to have Hamlin carrying on the Party duty in the Senate.
In the meantime, the Democrats gave the Republicans another gift: After the fiasco in which both Pierce and Buchanan died within days of the announcement that THEY were the new ticket, the Democrats would select former Ohio Congressman Clement Vallendigham for President and another former Ohio Copperhead Congressman George Pendleton as his Vice-Presidential candidate.
With the economy still solid, Seward was felling pretty comfortable with his party's chances in November.
London
The First Lord of the Treasury knew that two great battles were imminent....if they hadn't occurred already. All intelligence reports from France indicated that the Emperor's forces were massing near Marseille for an assault on Corfu (this had, in fact, already occurred).
Also, eight weeks prior, the formal orders for the British forces in India to invade French-held Siam were shipped. If the Commander-in-Chief of India had his forces ready to ship on a moment's notice, it would take less than a week for that fleet to reach Siam (again, this had already happened).
All Disraeli could do is wait. The results of those battles would determine the fate of the war.
The only comfort to be had at the moment was that the last two significant French possessions in the Americas had fallen: Martinique and Guadeloupe.
French Guyana, effectively defenseless, had been sold to the Dutch in the early days of the war. The Dutch Navy, such as it was, was present when the Royal Navy squadron, oblivious to the situation, sailed into Cayenne to find Dutch ships and the Dutch flag flying. The new Dutch governor of the 25,000 soul territory would invite the Royal Navy officers to the first formal dance under Dutch rule.
Later historians would believe that the French Emperor pressed the Dutch to take it to avoid losing face when the Royal Navy inevitably seized the territory. Nominally, the Dutch paid several million francs for the territory but, in reality, the Emperor agreed not to strong-arm the Dutch to his side in the current war.
It would be over a week until Disraeli learned of the battle in the Mediterranean and a nearly six before word arrived of what occurred in Siam.
Ionian Islands
The 2nd battle of Corfu would be even more hotly contested than the first. Having realized the weakness of their armor on several classes of French ironclads, the French attempted to compensate by adding on several more inches of armor....or even hanging chainmail....over the sides of their lighter ships. It was probably better than nothing.
In the age of the ironclads, the adage was quickly passed about that the most powerful navy was the one which had just launched the latest (and most modern) ship. In June of 1868, this was France (the Ocean).
With the ocean leading a fleet of 9 ironclads (all but two of the French Ironclads available for European service in 1868) and 12 smaller or older ships, the French fleet sailed directly for Corfu, arriving on June 3rd.
As expected, the British fleet was waiting with 6 ironclads and 18 smaller or older ships.
There would be no complex maneuvers: the French simply sailed forward and met the British line 20 miles southwest of Corfu.
The Ocean, leading the attack, would badly wound two British ironclads which steadfastly steamed on to return fire at the next French ship in line. The use of steam power had reduced the age-old advantage in British seamanship....but not gunnery. The British were still the most efficient gunners in the world and their navy had replaced the underpowered and prone to jam Armstrong Breechloading cannon with older model but more reliable and powerful muzzleloaders.
In short order, the British accuracy, rate of fire and superior armor was starting to tell. The Province-class Magnanime would suffer a major blow directly below their armored belt and begin to list almost immediately. She fell out of line. Two smaller French ships at the rear of the line would be wrecked and set aflame by British fire.
However, the heavy French guns gave as well as they got. The heavy Minotaur and Black Prince suffered damage and two aged wooden ships of the line were set ablaze.
Within an hour, all order would collapse as the battle became a brawl. The Ocean concentrated on the Black Prince, the second heavy British ironclad ever built and set her ablaze after multiple rounds of the heavy (472 pound) shells penetrated the British ship's hull. Despite a brilliant system of bulkheads, the Black Prince began to take on water.
However, the Ocean would soon meet her own fate as the HMS Northumberland sped forward to plunger her ram into the Ocean's hull. Almost immediately, it was apparent that the French design of isolated compartments did not match the quality of the British. The Ocean would fall away, blasting all the time into the Northumberland.
After 14 hours, the battle ended due to a combination of mutual exhaustion and darkness.
Daylight would find that six French Ironclads had been sunk, burned to the waterline or scuttled in addition to six older ships. Among the lost was the Ocean, which had attempted to sail for home the previous night but would sink off of Italy at midnight. Most of the remaining French fleet had been battered and was running low on coal, powder and shot. The rear Admiral in command would order the French survivors to retreat for Marseille to lick their wounds.
The British, while "holding the field", would suffer as well. The Black Prince, the Northumberland and the HMS Ocean (not the same vessel as the French flagship) would be lost. The Black Prince sank the previous day while the Northumberland, filled with holes, would yield overnight. The HMS Ocean was set aflame late in the battle but the crew had thought to have put them out. However, smoldering embers ignited several shells and a huge hole was blasted in her side. Only a small portion of the crew would be saved before she capsized and sank.
Overall, it was a tactical French victory....but a terrible British strategic defeat for the Russians and Greeks had snuck across to Corfu as the battle waged and landed 6000 soldiers. For several days, the allies pushed forward until they could emplace their heavy guns over the harbor. With the Greek population rising up to assist, the small British garrison knew it could not hold. The base was abandoned and the British steamed out carrying all their personnel.
The returning Royal Navy fleet, battered as it was, immediately forced away the Russian and Greek ships (they didn't pursue) but knew that regaining the actual island would require an invasion force not readily available. Besieging the islands would seem pointless as food supplies were more than adequate to hold on for the time being.
Thus, the British fleet retreated to Malta.
Brest
The Royal Navy was not done yet.
Three British Ironclads had been stationed in the Channel to protect against invasion. By June, the HMS Pallas (which had been in drydock) was fully repaired and the new HMS Penelope had just been crewed.
This brought the British Channel fleet up to five ironclads (to zero for the French) along the channel. Seeing no reason to let them sit, the Admiralty would dispatch all five plus a dozen heavily-gunned wooden ships of the line to Brest, the primary French harbor and base in the region. Most of the French fleet had fled the port earlier in the war so they could consolidate in the Mediterranean. The port was left to her own defense.
This would prove inadequate as the heavy British guns would silence the harbor defenses better equipped for the naval artillery of a previous age. Dozens of merchant ships were taken while the fortifications razed. Though it was not intended, a great fire broke out in the city and burned nearly a quarter of Brest to the ground.
The Atlantic
With the ironclads making the older wooden vessels obsolete in line of battle, both France and Britain deployed many of the smaller, faster vessels towards commerce raiding. As France had few colonies left by 1868 (and losing them all) in the New World, the quantity of French ships sailing to the Americas was lower than one may expect. Still, the British managed to intercept and seize over 150 French vessels in the Atlantic during this time, prize crews gathering cargos of American cotton and Grain, Brazilian sugar and rubber and Argentine hides.
The French, despite having far more targets to choose from among British shipping, would only seize roughly 50 British ships on the high seas. The French would also lose six of these commerce raiders to the Royal Navy while the latter lost only one commerce raider in direct battle with the French.
Morocco
Though the march was arduous, the French would methodically gather supplies in the most narrow coves and harbors throughout Morocco. No doubt the Royal Navy could occupy any space it desired, that was not the same as occupying EVERY SPACE it desired. The rise of the ironclad meant that Britain could not simply blockade a dozen harbors at once. As ironclads were still too few in number, than meant blockading with older, wooden ships. A single enemy ironclad may just as easily destroy the blockading squadron as sailing through it.
Using their fastest merchant vessels, supplies from France followed the French march west.
By Summer, the exhausted French armies had seized all the major cities save Marrakech.
Siam
As the British rather expected, the French did not bother attempting to break the British blockade or halt the inevitable invasion from India.
In June, 8000 British and 7000 Indian (mostly Muslims or Sikhs from Regiments which had been raised with the understanding they may be utilized abroad), were deposited on shore of the Chao Phraya River. The heavy British ships could only sail so far up the estuary. However, lighter British ships were able to silences some of the French gun emplacements along the shoreline.
The French, knowing they could not prevent the initial landing, opted to defend Bangkok in depth.
The battle of Siam had finally begun.
July, 1868
Washington
President Lincoln would dispatch his Secretary of State, William Seward, to Europe for two reasons:
1. Lincoln hoped that Seward could talk the British and French into attending a peace conference in Washington.
2. It was considered traditional for candidates for high office to remain at home while others canvassed for them. During elections, candidates had the tendency to LOSE MORE VOTES than they gained via their own mouths. With Seward off the continent, this would ensure that nothing negative would come from the Secretary of State's own words. If he managed to convene a peace conference, so much the better.
South Africa
The British had largely conceded the autonomy of the Transvaal and Orange Free State years prior. However, the discovery of diamonds along the border of British South Africa while Natal and the Cape Colony remained under British control.
However, the discover of diamonds in 1866 near the norther border of Cape Colony and Western Border of the Transvaal would upset the balance of power between Boers and the British.
Over the past year, the Boers had reached out to the French for aid. Napoleon III was willing to help but the French European fleet was tied up in the Mediterranean. However, seeing that the French Pacific Squadron dare not act against the superior British fleet in the Indian Ocean, the Emperor took yet another chance and ordered his timid French Pacific fleet to sail south towards Natal, which had been conquered by the British in 1843 and much of the Boer population had fled north to the Orange Free State and Transvaal.
In secret orders to the French commander (known only to a few in Paris), the Emperor informed the French that the Boers would declare war upon the British on June 1st and drive for beaches of Durban by July.
Given the less than ideal circumstances, the chances of a French invasion fleet from Vietnam reaching Durban at the same time as a Boer army was somewhat unlikely. However, that was more or less what happened.
The French fleet, sighted passing Singapore, was assumed to be sailing for Siam. However, it turned south and reached Durban but a few days after the Boers had reached the coast.
4500 French and Vietnamese soldiers disembarked and joined the Boers in marching west into Cape Colony.
Siam
The initial British invasion looked promising. Disembarking miles south of the city, the 15,000 British and Indian troops were convinced that the city was theirs for the taking. However, they had underestimated the number of troops which had been moved over the past six months via land or via harbors in southeastern Siam (the British concentrated upon the mouth of the Chao Phraya. Over 2500 more French, 4000 Vietnamese, 3000 Cambodians and 6000 Chinese Sepoys were transported through jungle trails as the British fleet sat at anchor south of Bangkok.
The Siamese had largely been crushed in the south leaving the French in command of the Capital.
By July, nearly 25,000 French and French-allied Sepoys (the name over the 1860's would come to be used by the French as well as the British) were preparing for battle against the 15,000 British.
Having had so many months to prepare, the French commander had forced the local Siamese population to dig trenches, pits, barricades, enfilades, etcetera in every conceivable approach to the city.
William Mansfield, the Commander-in-chief of British India, was obligated to try. However, the British Enfield was severely outclassed by the French Chassepots in distance, accuracy and rate of fire. In 1867, the Duke of Cambridge had....finally....approved a retrofit of the Enfields to make them breechloaders and greatly improve their rate of fire.....but few of these had reached India as of yet.
Mansfield had few good positions for his Armstrongs but would have found the French Krupps, well placed in strategic locations, a difficult nut to crack.
Mansfield opted to strike at three spots determined at weak-points by his scouts. If these could be overcome, then the overall French position would be worthless.
That was, after all, what he hoped if not exactly expected. But still, many of the French troops were Asiatics, not the match of his own British, Muslims and Sikhs.
As his army began to wither from disease in the humid jungles (most of his own men were from more arid, mountain regions, not the subcontinent's marshy Kingdoms), Mansfield knew he must attack now or be forced to retreat.
The attack was an abject disaster. Whether or not the Asiatics were the equals of British or Indian troops was not resolved. What WAS resolved was that marching in ranks towards heavily fortified positions filled with twice your number bearing weapons that could fire three to four times more bullets per minute than your men was not a winning proposition.
Suffering over 3000 casualties without achieving any of his objectives, Mansfield retreated. By this point, Mansfield only had 9000 healthy men. Then the French emerged from their fortifications and attacked.
Mansfield attempted to form ranks but this simply resulted in a slaughter. Many of the Chinese Sepoys had served in the Opium Wars for the Mandarin and seen their ranks carved to pieces by European weapons. Now, in service to the French, THEY did the massacring of White Men.
Even the discipline of the seasoned British and Indian veterans could not withstand the differential in firepower. The French Krupps would come to play from their prepared positions to deadly effect. The British were forced to retreat under the withering fire.
While successes came here and there - a Sikh regiment counterattacked against their opposite Chinese Regiment and broke them with a bayonet charge - for the most part, the British retreated to the disembarkation sites. Some of transports were still available but most had been withdrawn to avoid French fire. Gaining some measure of protection from the French naval vessels, Mansfield ordered as many regiments to board as could make the docks. He remained behind with 4000 of his men as the wounded were boarded first.
The running firefight became desperate Mansfield realized much of his powder stores had been overrun and captured. Still, the British fought on, their semicircle of a rear guard shrank as they were forced back little by little by enemy fire and the almost constant casualties incurred by the superior Chassepots. The handful of artillery guns still available would fire as if their ammunition would last forever. Mansfield considered chiding the officers but realized the swarms of attackers gave the British a good target. Besides, the shot, shells and canister of the few cannon were probably doing more than the infantry to keep the British line from being completely overrun. Hoping to survive until nighttime, Mansfield ordered an estimate of his surviving soldiers and coldly realized that he was down to two thousand, many wounded.
Just as the count came in, word arrived that the powder was almost entirely spent....and that the last of the transports had departed. None appeared to be sailing up the river to replace them.
Mansfield uttered a sigh. He supposed he was never going to get that Irish peerage.
He ordered his men to fix bayonets as soon as they fired their last rounds. The British barrage declined notably within minutes as the glint of Bayonets become more common.
Seeing the enemy reorganizing for the attack and bring forward more cannon, Mansfield signaled his surviving officers to charge forward into the seemingly endless fire of the French forces. Drawing his sword, Mansfield looked at the British, Sikhs and Muslim solders, regretting that the army had so let them down. Mansfield marched forward, not bothering to look back. He knew these brave men would be following .
Mansfield didn't make it 20 steps.
The last thought the General had was of his wife.
Washington
President Lincoln would dispatch his Secretary of State, William Seward, to Europe for two reasons:
1. Lincoln hoped that Seward could talk the British and French into attending a peace conference in Washington.
2. It was considered traditional for candidates for high office to remain at home while others canvassed for them. During elections, candidates had the tendency to LOSE MORE VOTES than they gained via their own mouths. With Seward off the continent, this would ensure that nothing negative would come from the Secretary of State's own words. If he managed to convene a peace conference, so much the better.
South Africa
The British had largely conceded the autonomy of the Transvaal and Orange Free State years prior. However, the discovery of diamonds along the border of British South Africa while Natal and the Cape Colony remained under British control.
However, the discover of diamonds in 1866 near the norther border of Cape Colony and Western Border of the Transvaal would upset the balance of power between Boers and the British.
Over the past year, the Boers had reached out to the French for aid. Napoleon III was willing to help but the French European fleet was tied up in the Mediterranean. However, seeing that the French Pacific Squadron dare not act against the superior British fleet in the Indian Ocean, the Emperor took yet another chance and ordered his timid French Pacific fleet to sail south towards Natal, which had been conquered by the British in 1843 and much of the Boer population had fled north to the Orange Free State and Transvaal.
In secret orders to the French commander (known only to a few in Paris), the Emperor informed the French that the Boers would declare war upon the British on June 1st and drive for beaches of Durban by July.
Given the less than ideal circumstances, the chances of a French invasion fleet from Vietnam reaching Durban at the same time as a Boer army was somewhat unlikely. However, that was more or less what happened.
The French fleet, sighted passing Singapore, was assumed to be sailing for Siam. However, it turned south and reached Durban but a few days after the Boers had reached the coast.
4500 French and Vietnamese soldiers disembarked and joined the Boers in marching west into Cape Colony.
Siam
The initial British invasion looked promising. Disembarking miles south of the city, the 15,000 British and Indian troops were convinced that the city was theirs for the taking. However, they had underestimated the number of troops which had been moved over the past six months via land or via harbors in southeastern Siam (the British concentrated upon the mouth of the Chao Phraya. Over 2500 more French, 4000 Vietnamese, 3000 Cambodians and 6000 Chinese Sepoys were transported through jungle trails as the British fleet sat at anchor south of Bangkok.
The Siamese had largely been crushed in the south leaving the French in command of the Capital.
By July, nearly 25,000 French and French-allied Sepoys (the name over the 1860's would come to be used by the French as well as the British) were preparing for battle against the 15,000 British.
Having had so many months to prepare, the French commander had forced the local Siamese population to dig trenches, pits, barricades, enfilades, etcetera in every conceivable approach to the city.
William Mansfield, the Commander-in-chief of British India, was obligated to try. However, the British Enfield was severely outclassed by the French Chassepots in distance, accuracy and rate of fire. In 1867, the Duke of Cambridge had....finally....approved a retrofit of the Enfields to make them breechloaders and greatly improve their rate of fire.....but few of these had reached India as of yet.
Mansfield had few good positions for his Armstrongs but would have found the French Krupps, well placed in strategic locations, a difficult nut to crack.
Mansfield opted to strike at three spots determined at weak-points by his scouts. If these could be overcome, then the overall French position would be worthless.
That was, after all, what he hoped if not exactly expected. But still, many of the French troops were Asiatics, not the match of his own British, Muslims and Sikhs.
As his army began to wither from disease in the humid jungles (most of his own men were from more arid, mountain regions, not the subcontinent's marshy Kingdoms), Mansfield knew he must attack now or be forced to retreat.
The attack was an abject disaster. Whether or not the Asiatics were the equals of British or Indian troops was not resolved. What WAS resolved was that marching in ranks towards heavily fortified positions filled with twice your number bearing weapons that could fire three to four times more bullets per minute than your men was not a winning proposition.
Suffering over 3000 casualties without achieving any of his objectives, Mansfield retreated. By this point, Mansfield only had 9000 healthy men. Then the French emerged from their fortifications and attacked.
Mansfield attempted to form ranks but this simply resulted in a slaughter. Many of the Chinese Sepoys had served in the Opium Wars for the Mandarin and seen their ranks carved to pieces by European weapons. Now, in service to the French, THEY did the massacring of White Men.
Even the discipline of the seasoned British and Indian veterans could not withstand the differential in firepower. The French Krupps would come to play from their prepared positions to deadly effect. The British were forced to retreat under the withering fire.
While successes came here and there - a Sikh regiment counterattacked against their opposite Chinese Regiment and broke them with a bayonet charge - for the most part, the British retreated to the disembarkation sites. Some of transports were still available but most had been withdrawn to avoid French fire. Gaining some measure of protection from the French naval vessels, Mansfield ordered as many regiments to board as could make the docks. He remained behind with 4000 of his men as the wounded were boarded first.
The running firefight became desperate Mansfield realized much of his powder stores had been overrun and captured. Still, the British fought on, their semicircle of a rear guard shrank as they were forced back little by little by enemy fire and the almost constant casualties incurred by the superior Chassepots. The handful of artillery guns still available would fire as if their ammunition would last forever. Mansfield considered chiding the officers but realized the swarms of attackers gave the British a good target. Besides, the shot, shells and canister of the few cannon were probably doing more than the infantry to keep the British line from being completely overrun. Hoping to survive until nighttime, Mansfield ordered an estimate of his surviving soldiers and coldly realized that he was down to two thousand, many wounded.
Just as the count came in, word arrived that the powder was almost entirely spent....and that the last of the transports had departed. None appeared to be sailing up the river to replace them.
Mansfield uttered a sigh. He supposed he was never going to get that Irish peerage.
He ordered his men to fix bayonets as soon as they fired their last rounds. The British barrage declined notably within minutes as the glint of Bayonets become more common.
Seeing the enemy reorganizing for the attack and bring forward more cannon, Mansfield signaled his surviving officers to charge forward into the seemingly endless fire of the French forces. Drawing his sword, Mansfield looked at the British, Sikhs and Muslim solders, regretting that the army had so let them down. Mansfield marched forward, not bothering to look back. He knew these brave men would be following .
Mansfield didn't make it 20 steps.
The last thought the General had was of his wife.
August, 1868
Washington DC
President Lincoln would personally see off Seward on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania, which was the first of her class of ocean-going turreted ironclads. Unlike other ocean-going vessels the Pennsylvania would be among the first to be "steam only", meaning no sails.
Accompanying the Pennsylvania would be two of the Kalamazoo-class ocean going ships.
Per the agreement of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, that nation would host the event (both Britain and France desired proximity to negotiators) but Seward would be the mediator. Britain's relations with the Dutch had taken a hit when it was learned that France "sold" French Guiana to the Dutch rather than lose it to the British.
Besides, America had risen to the status of world power in recent years, while the Dutch had spent the past two centuries in decline.
Lincoln shook Seward's hand and wished him the best.
Then, the President would pay a visit to the nearby shipyards where Misters Ericsson and Whitehead had another demonstration of the torpedo.
It would seem that the capable engineers had built a new vessel....not one that was LARGER....but much smaller than most Lincoln had ever seen. Ericsson explained that this new torpedo boat's protection would not be armor but her slight size and speed. Effectively little more than an engineer with a tube atop her, the vessel relied on being hard to hit. The increased power of naval artillery ensured that a single hit by even a secondary weapon would shatter a smaller vessel. Thus, the impetus of his little ship remained speed, a shallow draft and her small size. Whitehead attributed it to trying to hit a fly with a sledgehammer.
"Tell me about these tubes?"
Whitehead beamed, "Mr. Ericsson designed those for my torpedos. The idea is to launch the torpedoes from these tubes at as great a distance from the enemy vessel as possible and....well.....run like hell."
"We've arranged a demonstration, Mr. President."
"By all means, then, gentlemen." Lincoln loved new technologies.
He was not disappointed. The first run of the "torpedo boat" would be flawless. The weapon was discharged over a hundred yards from a stricken hulk at the opposite end of the bay and, as the "torpedo boat" turned away at what had to have been 15 knots, the torpedo's aim was true and exploded beneath the waterline of the ship. It immediately began to take on water.
Lincoln could not stop clapping and requested to see the feat again. This Ericsson and Whitehead agreed and ran the test three more times......with decidedly LESS success. On one occasion, the torpedo failed to detonate upon contact. On the next, it seemed to veer off to the right while in the water and found itself beached upon a small cove hundreds of yards distance. On the third, the propulsion mechanism failed to work and the torpedo slowed to a halt after launch.
The engineers seemed embarrassed but Lincoln comforted them. "Gentlemen, for all the problems today, I can see that the future is with these weapons. Proceed to test and improve. I shall be certain that the Naval Department's budge remains untouched for....well, the next six months at least. I have no doubt Secretary Dahlgren will support as well."
The engineers thanked the President, obviously pleased and immediately turned to discuss the problems. Lincoln wisely made his escape.
In truth, Lincoln could not swear if his successor would maintain all of the Cabinet or none. While Seward would almost certainly be elected in a few months, the Secretary of State was a very different man from Lincoln and may simply desire to clean house.
By that point, Lincoln's opinion would not matter to anyone.
Manhattan
Three times in the first half of the 19th Century, much of city had been claimed by fires. Building codes to demand construction from stone helped but nothing could protect the city from a determined bombardment by the Royal Navy.
Over half the city had burned to the ground. See no reason to leave the city vulnerable again, the Federal, State and City governments would unite to reduce the haphazard construction which resulted in unsafe slums even when the British WEREN'T bombarding them.
Huge swathes of land were claimed by eminent domain or condemnation. Here, the park systems would be almost tripled, especially along the waterfronts (later these "walking paths" would be valued greatly by locals and tourists). In addition, block-wide swathes of land running east and west would be cleared to create "fire breaks" every few blocks that would be hundreds of yards wide. This ensured that the entire city would not go up in flames in a future attack (or just the next time a massive fire broke out).
By 1875, 41% of Manhattan would be designated "green space" although many of the "green spaces" would be used for supporting the huge equine population which kept Manhattan in motion.
Beyond that, seeking to control the slums of Manhattan which were deemed a fire hazard in the best of times (and were considered unsightly by the Island's gentry), the housing code would be restricted to three stories per building. This would vastly reduce the amount of living space and force many of the new textile and other manufacturing business (and their largely immigrant workforce) from Manhattan to neighboring cities. This immediately brought complaints to developers planning huge buildings on Manhattan of as many as 8 to 10 stories.
There were complaints that the majority of the "eminent domain" seizures were of the squalid immigrant neighborhoods. This could hardly be denied but, as the owners were compensated, the government had little problem fending off the numerous lawsuits.
Paris
Napoleon III was nearly in a panic. Over half his ironclad fleet had been sunk......in just two battles.
Yes, France had more ironclads under construction.....but the British had MORE and the British manufacturing base was awesome. In the long run, the British would win that fight.
If he knew of the events in Morocco, he would have been more worried.
Casablanca
Having seized much of the city from the landward side, the 10,000-strong French occupational force was settling into comfortable lodgings when word of a forest of masts arriving of shore led the French "Defenders" to rush to the city ramparts.
The French forces in Morocco had been raised to 35,000 over the past months. However, these were spread across half a dozen major cities.
The 12,000 strong British invasion force under General James Hope Grant would normally not be a direct threat to the French. However, their forces dissipated over a huge swathe of land, the British had a modest numerical advantage. More importantly, they had more artillery than the French. The British would link with 10,000 of the King of Morocco's cavalry and face the French in battle outside of Casablanca.
For once, the British did not have a significant handicap in infantry rifles as the bulk of the British infantry had been granted the remodeled Enfield-Snider breechloading rifle.
Having become accustomed to technological superiority over their long march across Morocco's interior, the exhausted French found themselves badly outnumbered with little artillery or cavalry to support them.
The one thing they knew they DIDN'T want to do was be trapped in the city for two reasons:
1. The same Royal Navy Squadron which had devastated Brest the previous month had finally arrived in the Mediterranean and proceeded to wipe out the French supply ships feeding the French armies in Casablanca, Rabat, Tangiers, etc. It was uncertain if there would be any French response at sea.
2. If the French forces WERE trapped in a city, it was highly questionable if the Moroccans would accept a surrender. More than likely, the Berbers would seek revenge for the past months of invasion.
Of course, fighting in the relative "open" meant that the British and Moroccans could make better use of their cavalry and superior numbers. The French would retreat to Rabat, hoping the 5000 man garrison there could assist in battling the British. Once, they made it to Rabat, the French deemed retreat to Tangier and further consolidation of their forces more prudent.
The retreat would often be a fighting one, as the French were harassed constantly by Moroccan cavalry, thus slowing them down and allowing the British infantry to catch up. Then the French would leave skirmishers behind in hopes of gaining a lead in what was rapidly becoming a route.
Siam
The French officers gathered together and whispered of their dismal supply situation. Powder did not travel well in the jungle and most of the French soldiers and even the Asiatic Sepoys were not faring well in this steamy climate.
The Battle of Bangkok had been a great victory. But the tenuous supply line had not been improved as the Royal Navy continued to keep up its blockade. An assortment of messages had been sent over the past weeks to Europe, usually on "neutral" ships. Many of these would likely be stopped by the Royal Navy and the messages destroyed by the courier lest they fall into British hands. But some would probably make it through to Paris to explain that the situation remained dire in Siam.
As for support from the French Navy?
The Army had been informed that there would be no effort to break the blockade. Besides, the French ships were busy elsewhere. No one in Siam had a clue where.
Durban, Natal
Having dispatched several thousand French and Vietnamese Sepoys onto Natal's beaches, there was a short-lived sense of victory. However, the arrival of thousands of Boer soldiers, good horsemen and partisans all, did little to assuage French anxiety when it became apparent that most of the British Army in South Africa, perhaps 10,000 strong, plus an unknown number of Cape Colony militia, were even now marching across the borders of Natal.
What was more, none of the French ships which had escorted this invasion force were among the most powerful in the French Navy.
And certainly not a match for the heavy Royal Navy Ironclads based in India (and the Siamese blockade).
There was no doubt that adequate time had passed for the British loyalists in the Cape to send a message to Calcutta, Madras or wherever the hell the British fleet was. The British response would likely be measured in weeks, not months.
Washington DC
President Lincoln would personally see off Seward on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania, which was the first of her class of ocean-going turreted ironclads. Unlike other ocean-going vessels the Pennsylvania would be among the first to be "steam only", meaning no sails.
Accompanying the Pennsylvania would be two of the Kalamazoo-class ocean going ships.
Per the agreement of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, that nation would host the event (both Britain and France desired proximity to negotiators) but Seward would be the mediator. Britain's relations with the Dutch had taken a hit when it was learned that France "sold" French Guiana to the Dutch rather than lose it to the British.
Besides, America had risen to the status of world power in recent years, while the Dutch had spent the past two centuries in decline.
Lincoln shook Seward's hand and wished him the best.
Then, the President would pay a visit to the nearby shipyards where Misters Ericsson and Whitehead had another demonstration of the torpedo.
It would seem that the capable engineers had built a new vessel....not one that was LARGER....but much smaller than most Lincoln had ever seen. Ericsson explained that this new torpedo boat's protection would not be armor but her slight size and speed. Effectively little more than an engineer with a tube atop her, the vessel relied on being hard to hit. The increased power of naval artillery ensured that a single hit by even a secondary weapon would shatter a smaller vessel. Thus, the impetus of his little ship remained speed, a shallow draft and her small size. Whitehead attributed it to trying to hit a fly with a sledgehammer.
"Tell me about these tubes?"
Whitehead beamed, "Mr. Ericsson designed those for my torpedos. The idea is to launch the torpedoes from these tubes at as great a distance from the enemy vessel as possible and....well.....run like hell."
"We've arranged a demonstration, Mr. President."
"By all means, then, gentlemen." Lincoln loved new technologies.
He was not disappointed. The first run of the "torpedo boat" would be flawless. The weapon was discharged over a hundred yards from a stricken hulk at the opposite end of the bay and, as the "torpedo boat" turned away at what had to have been 15 knots, the torpedo's aim was true and exploded beneath the waterline of the ship. It immediately began to take on water.
Lincoln could not stop clapping and requested to see the feat again. This Ericsson and Whitehead agreed and ran the test three more times......with decidedly LESS success. On one occasion, the torpedo failed to detonate upon contact. On the next, it seemed to veer off to the right while in the water and found itself beached upon a small cove hundreds of yards distance. On the third, the propulsion mechanism failed to work and the torpedo slowed to a halt after launch.
The engineers seemed embarrassed but Lincoln comforted them. "Gentlemen, for all the problems today, I can see that the future is with these weapons. Proceed to test and improve. I shall be certain that the Naval Department's budge remains untouched for....well, the next six months at least. I have no doubt Secretary Dahlgren will support as well."
The engineers thanked the President, obviously pleased and immediately turned to discuss the problems. Lincoln wisely made his escape.
In truth, Lincoln could not swear if his successor would maintain all of the Cabinet or none. While Seward would almost certainly be elected in a few months, the Secretary of State was a very different man from Lincoln and may simply desire to clean house.
By that point, Lincoln's opinion would not matter to anyone.
Manhattan
Three times in the first half of the 19th Century, much of city had been claimed by fires. Building codes to demand construction from stone helped but nothing could protect the city from a determined bombardment by the Royal Navy.
Over half the city had burned to the ground. See no reason to leave the city vulnerable again, the Federal, State and City governments would unite to reduce the haphazard construction which resulted in unsafe slums even when the British WEREN'T bombarding them.
Huge swathes of land were claimed by eminent domain or condemnation. Here, the park systems would be almost tripled, especially along the waterfronts (later these "walking paths" would be valued greatly by locals and tourists). In addition, block-wide swathes of land running east and west would be cleared to create "fire breaks" every few blocks that would be hundreds of yards wide. This ensured that the entire city would not go up in flames in a future attack (or just the next time a massive fire broke out).
By 1875, 41% of Manhattan would be designated "green space" although many of the "green spaces" would be used for supporting the huge equine population which kept Manhattan in motion.
Beyond that, seeking to control the slums of Manhattan which were deemed a fire hazard in the best of times (and were considered unsightly by the Island's gentry), the housing code would be restricted to three stories per building. This would vastly reduce the amount of living space and force many of the new textile and other manufacturing business (and their largely immigrant workforce) from Manhattan to neighboring cities. This immediately brought complaints to developers planning huge buildings on Manhattan of as many as 8 to 10 stories.
There were complaints that the majority of the "eminent domain" seizures were of the squalid immigrant neighborhoods. This could hardly be denied but, as the owners were compensated, the government had little problem fending off the numerous lawsuits.
Paris
Napoleon III was nearly in a panic. Over half his ironclad fleet had been sunk......in just two battles.
Yes, France had more ironclads under construction.....but the British had MORE and the British manufacturing base was awesome. In the long run, the British would win that fight.
If he knew of the events in Morocco, he would have been more worried.
Casablanca
Having seized much of the city from the landward side, the 10,000-strong French occupational force was settling into comfortable lodgings when word of a forest of masts arriving of shore led the French "Defenders" to rush to the city ramparts.
The French forces in Morocco had been raised to 35,000 over the past months. However, these were spread across half a dozen major cities.
The 12,000 strong British invasion force under General James Hope Grant would normally not be a direct threat to the French. However, their forces dissipated over a huge swathe of land, the British had a modest numerical advantage. More importantly, they had more artillery than the French. The British would link with 10,000 of the King of Morocco's cavalry and face the French in battle outside of Casablanca.
For once, the British did not have a significant handicap in infantry rifles as the bulk of the British infantry had been granted the remodeled Enfield-Snider breechloading rifle.
Having become accustomed to technological superiority over their long march across Morocco's interior, the exhausted French found themselves badly outnumbered with little artillery or cavalry to support them.
The one thing they knew they DIDN'T want to do was be trapped in the city for two reasons:
1. The same Royal Navy Squadron which had devastated Brest the previous month had finally arrived in the Mediterranean and proceeded to wipe out the French supply ships feeding the French armies in Casablanca, Rabat, Tangiers, etc. It was uncertain if there would be any French response at sea.
2. If the French forces WERE trapped in a city, it was highly questionable if the Moroccans would accept a surrender. More than likely, the Berbers would seek revenge for the past months of invasion.
Of course, fighting in the relative "open" meant that the British and Moroccans could make better use of their cavalry and superior numbers. The French would retreat to Rabat, hoping the 5000 man garrison there could assist in battling the British. Once, they made it to Rabat, the French deemed retreat to Tangier and further consolidation of their forces more prudent.
The retreat would often be a fighting one, as the French were harassed constantly by Moroccan cavalry, thus slowing them down and allowing the British infantry to catch up. Then the French would leave skirmishers behind in hopes of gaining a lead in what was rapidly becoming a route.
Siam
The French officers gathered together and whispered of their dismal supply situation. Powder did not travel well in the jungle and most of the French soldiers and even the Asiatic Sepoys were not faring well in this steamy climate.
The Battle of Bangkok had been a great victory. But the tenuous supply line had not been improved as the Royal Navy continued to keep up its blockade. An assortment of messages had been sent over the past weeks to Europe, usually on "neutral" ships. Many of these would likely be stopped by the Royal Navy and the messages destroyed by the courier lest they fall into British hands. But some would probably make it through to Paris to explain that the situation remained dire in Siam.
As for support from the French Navy?
The Army had been informed that there would be no effort to break the blockade. Besides, the French ships were busy elsewhere. No one in Siam had a clue where.
Durban, Natal
Having dispatched several thousand French and Vietnamese Sepoys onto Natal's beaches, there was a short-lived sense of victory. However, the arrival of thousands of Boer soldiers, good horsemen and partisans all, did little to assuage French anxiety when it became apparent that most of the British Army in South Africa, perhaps 10,000 strong, plus an unknown number of Cape Colony militia, were even now marching across the borders of Natal.
What was more, none of the French ships which had escorted this invasion force were among the most powerful in the French Navy.
And certainly not a match for the heavy Royal Navy Ironclads based in India (and the Siamese blockade).
There was no doubt that adequate time had passed for the British loyalists in the Cape to send a message to Calcutta, Madras or wherever the hell the British fleet was. The British response would likely be measured in weeks, not months.
September, 1868
The Hague
The American Secretary of State William Seward would convene the peace negotiations between Great Britain, France, Russia and Greece in September, 1868. The diplomat started by thanking their Dutch hosts for offering their facilities in mediating the dispute.
In truth, the American was not entirely certain if either Britain or the allies were inclined to make peace. However, the war was affecting American trade and it was in the best interests of his own nation to expend every effort to encourage a resolution to this war.
While news from Asia was sparse, the war appeared to be ongoing in Siam, a land so remote Seward could hardly conceive. Maybe, after his presidency, he may travel a bit more to meet the people he'd been communicating with for so many years. If Seward recalled, the King of Siam had offered elephants to President Lincoln to aid in the war effort. It was painful to consider such a thoughtful man being conquered by some far-off foreign power simply due to the advent of more powerful weapons.
The usual pleasantries were exchanged as both sides attempted to keep up the time-honored over-courteousness usually affiliated with people warring with one another. In an odd way, Seward would have preferred the hostile parties to be screaming at one another.
The first days of the Conference included the usual litany of complaints listed in some sort of chronological order. This wasted a great deal of time and was apparently only for posterity purposes.
Eventually, the key issues were:
1. British offense at Russian/Greek support of Greek rebels on Cyprus and Crete (and presumably the Ionian Islands).
2. Russian outrage that the Russian/Greek ships supplying weapons to the rebels were sunk.
3. British indignation that France would so openly conquer Siam. Given how often Britain did this throughout the world, Seward had trouble keeping from rolling his eyes at this one. Even as the French seized Siam, the British had reportedly marched into Upper Burma (for which the French were indignant).
4. British offense at France's naked conquest of neutral Morocco.
5. French anger at the "unprovoked" attack on Martinique and Guadeloupe.
6. British contempt for French alliance with the Boers
Etc, etc, etc.
Basically, the entire first week was underlining what had happened in the past two years which led the combatants to this point.
On the balance, Seward looked at the current military situation and deemed that the war seemed to be a draw at this point.
Britain had conquered the French West Indies
France, the news having just arrived on a fast ship, had successfully defended Siam from a British invasion .This, in particular, caused a violent argument which forced Seward to suspend talks for the day.
Britain's forces in Morocco appear to have stiffened the Moroccan King's spine and the French were apparently in full retreat.
Britain had lost the Greek Islands but most of those had only been conquered in the past few years anyway and were hardly long-cherished possessions of Her Majesty.
No real news of the war in South Africa had reached Europe as of yet.
Seward expected the situation to drag on for weeks as both sides waited for more information on the war in Asia. However, to the American's surprise, both sides were inclined to continue talking.
The Secretary of State's mind always on the election in North America as well as ensuring that HIS NATION benefited in the peace.
Thus, Seward sought to end the war (and reestablish trade) while also ensuring a balance of power.
The general principles of peace negotiations tend towards one of two options: a settle ante-bellum and post-bellum.
In this case, Seward made the proposal post-bellum.
1. Greece would keep Cyprus, Crete and the Ionian islands (this was non-negotiable for the Greeks and Russians). However, Seward sensed that Britain's bigger concerns related to naval bases and the Secretary of State inserted a clause that these islands would NOT be used by non-Greek navies as a base.
2. France would pull entirely from Morocco, leaving the nation under the King's full control. Great Britain would also withdraw. This mattered to America as well given the longtime good relations between Morocco and the United States. Morocco had been the first nation to recognize America's Independence.
3. France would cede their West Indian possessions to Britain. The was a difficult decision for Seward. Would it be better for America if there was ONE powerful European presence in the West Indies (Spain and the Netherlands didn't count) or two? Would it be better to play one off against the other or would the lack of a strong competitor in the West Indies, result in demilitarization by Great Britain?
4. Great Britain would recognize France's claim to Siam.
5. France would recognize Britain's claim to Upper Burma.
6. Great Britain and France would halt all offensive operations in South Africa until a Boer representative could be invited to the peace table.
To Seward's surprise, the first five points were generally accepted. What he DID NOT know was that Napoleon III had received word from Siam of the dire supply situation in Bangkok. It was unlikely that a second British invasion could be repulsed as easily. With the
What Seward DID know was that the Czar had already gotten over his outrage over the sinking of a few Russian ships by the Royal Navy and was starting to count the expenses of the war. The primary Russian aim (beyond "honor", of course) had already been achieved by the conquest of the Greek islands and their return to Russia's close ally, Greece. Russia itself had not use for the naval bases on these islands. The key to Alexander II"s position was that the British could not have them. Demobilizing them by giving them over entirely to Greece met the Russian's goals just fine. Britain's reach would be pushed halfway across the Mediterranean to Malta, thus ensuring that there would be no further British interference in the Levant.
After that, Russia was happy to talk peace.
Great Britain was also ready. While the French commerce raiding was not as successful as the British, the nation was also entirely dependent on trade. The threats to grain or cotton imports were too great for a shaky British economy and the Tory Majority in Parliament was looking less and less secure.
What was more, the fears of uprisings in India and Ireland were always present on the British mind (though overblown in reality). This was heightened by the French (largely inept) attempts to incite rebellion in those lands (yet another grievance that Seward had to sit through).
First Lord of the Treasury Disraeli had inquired his General Staff and Admiralty what it would take to eliminate French influence in North Africa. The Admiralty announced that this would take total domination of the waves of the Mediterranean. As the French and Russians had the advantage in ironclads and Great Britain could not possibly devote ALL of her heavy ships to the Mediterranean, it was estimated that the Navy could not assume such control for at least three years, this assuming a heavy British shipbuilding program which outpaced the allies.
The Commander-in-Chief, the Duke of Cambridge, then announced that "once the Royal Navy assumed domination and the enemy cannot supply Africa from Europe" (a big IF), then it would take his forces a minimum of three years to march across French North Africa, taking the ports one at a time.
Thus, Disraeli would commit his nation to at least six years of war.....if everything went WELL!
This was plainly unacceptable. Disraeli was inclined to put a stop to the matter before his government was thrown out on its ass.
Thus, by early October, much to the shock of most of the participants, an Armistice was signed between belligerents. No further attacks would be accepted. The only open issue would be the status of Natal and the Kimberly diamond fields.
Seward did not believe that war should continue over some damned rocks and quietly floated the idea of Natal being returned to the Boers (with no French military bases) while Britain laid claim to the diamond fields. That suited both Britain and France adequately well but the French negotiators, to their credit, would only approve a final treaty with consent of their ally. Seward was impressed given Napoleon III's propensity to backstab his own friends when it suited him.
Thus, against his every expectation, the Armistice was signed and ships dispatched throughout the world to spread the news.
In retrospect, Seward decided, that Great Powers of Europe realized that they had limited power to harm one another's holdings throughout the world and maintaining an extremely expensive conflict over marginal colonies and flyspecks on maps was not the way to prosperity.
Russia wanted to resume her exports. Britain wanted to ensure her imports. France, having survived a war with Britain largely intact, was willing to accept the peace.
Greece got what they wanted.
And so did America. Not only would Lincoln be credited with keeping his nation out of war but Seward be credited with negotiating the peace.....conveniently a month before the election. That must be worth a few votes.
While he was the Hague, Seward would do some quiet diplomacy as well. He inquired with the King of the Netherlands if he intended to maintain control over French Guiana permanently (and if he intended to maintain sovereignty over the Dutch West Indies). Seward knew that the "unconquered" portions of the French West Indies (French Guiana and St. Martin) had been transferred over to the Netherlands early in the war. The British were obviously not impressed with the ploy and Seward war frankly surprised that the Royal Navy hadn't simply sailed in and taken them anyway. The Dutch could hardly have done anything about the matter.
By 1868, it was apparent that the Dutch were a fading power. They were incapable of protecting their colonial possession from Britain, France, Spain, America, Brazil and, well, much of anyone. Only the low value of most of the Dutch colonies (the Dutch West Indies) or the willingness to allow the Dutch to keep the more valuable colonies (Dutch East Indies) in order to keep them out of the hands of more dangerous foes allowed the Dutch Empire to continue to exist.
The Dutch West Indies were largely a sinkhole of money and no longer made a profit. If they could not be defended, then Seward inquired why they could not be sold?
The Americans and Dutch had a good relationship, far better than the Dutch had with ancient rivals France, Britain and Spain.
Would the King consider selling to America?
The King agreed to think about the matter but was non-committal. Seward accepted this and made a mental note to bring up the matter again in a year or two.
The Hague
The American Secretary of State William Seward would convene the peace negotiations between Great Britain, France, Russia and Greece in September, 1868. The diplomat started by thanking their Dutch hosts for offering their facilities in mediating the dispute.
In truth, the American was not entirely certain if either Britain or the allies were inclined to make peace. However, the war was affecting American trade and it was in the best interests of his own nation to expend every effort to encourage a resolution to this war.
While news from Asia was sparse, the war appeared to be ongoing in Siam, a land so remote Seward could hardly conceive. Maybe, after his presidency, he may travel a bit more to meet the people he'd been communicating with for so many years. If Seward recalled, the King of Siam had offered elephants to President Lincoln to aid in the war effort. It was painful to consider such a thoughtful man being conquered by some far-off foreign power simply due to the advent of more powerful weapons.
The usual pleasantries were exchanged as both sides attempted to keep up the time-honored over-courteousness usually affiliated with people warring with one another. In an odd way, Seward would have preferred the hostile parties to be screaming at one another.
The first days of the Conference included the usual litany of complaints listed in some sort of chronological order. This wasted a great deal of time and was apparently only for posterity purposes.
Eventually, the key issues were:
1. British offense at Russian/Greek support of Greek rebels on Cyprus and Crete (and presumably the Ionian Islands).
2. Russian outrage that the Russian/Greek ships supplying weapons to the rebels were sunk.
3. British indignation that France would so openly conquer Siam. Given how often Britain did this throughout the world, Seward had trouble keeping from rolling his eyes at this one. Even as the French seized Siam, the British had reportedly marched into Upper Burma (for which the French were indignant).
4. British offense at France's naked conquest of neutral Morocco.
5. French anger at the "unprovoked" attack on Martinique and Guadeloupe.
6. British contempt for French alliance with the Boers
Etc, etc, etc.
Basically, the entire first week was underlining what had happened in the past two years which led the combatants to this point.
On the balance, Seward looked at the current military situation and deemed that the war seemed to be a draw at this point.
Britain had conquered the French West Indies
France, the news having just arrived on a fast ship, had successfully defended Siam from a British invasion .This, in particular, caused a violent argument which forced Seward to suspend talks for the day.
Britain's forces in Morocco appear to have stiffened the Moroccan King's spine and the French were apparently in full retreat.
Britain had lost the Greek Islands but most of those had only been conquered in the past few years anyway and were hardly long-cherished possessions of Her Majesty.
No real news of the war in South Africa had reached Europe as of yet.
Seward expected the situation to drag on for weeks as both sides waited for more information on the war in Asia. However, to the American's surprise, both sides were inclined to continue talking.
The Secretary of State's mind always on the election in North America as well as ensuring that HIS NATION benefited in the peace.
Thus, Seward sought to end the war (and reestablish trade) while also ensuring a balance of power.
The general principles of peace negotiations tend towards one of two options: a settle ante-bellum and post-bellum.
In this case, Seward made the proposal post-bellum.
1. Greece would keep Cyprus, Crete and the Ionian islands (this was non-negotiable for the Greeks and Russians). However, Seward sensed that Britain's bigger concerns related to naval bases and the Secretary of State inserted a clause that these islands would NOT be used by non-Greek navies as a base.
2. France would pull entirely from Morocco, leaving the nation under the King's full control. Great Britain would also withdraw. This mattered to America as well given the longtime good relations between Morocco and the United States. Morocco had been the first nation to recognize America's Independence.
3. France would cede their West Indian possessions to Britain. The was a difficult decision for Seward. Would it be better for America if there was ONE powerful European presence in the West Indies (Spain and the Netherlands didn't count) or two? Would it be better to play one off against the other or would the lack of a strong competitor in the West Indies, result in demilitarization by Great Britain?
4. Great Britain would recognize France's claim to Siam.
5. France would recognize Britain's claim to Upper Burma.
6. Great Britain and France would halt all offensive operations in South Africa until a Boer representative could be invited to the peace table.
To Seward's surprise, the first five points were generally accepted. What he DID NOT know was that Napoleon III had received word from Siam of the dire supply situation in Bangkok. It was unlikely that a second British invasion could be repulsed as easily. With the
What Seward DID know was that the Czar had already gotten over his outrage over the sinking of a few Russian ships by the Royal Navy and was starting to count the expenses of the war. The primary Russian aim (beyond "honor", of course) had already been achieved by the conquest of the Greek islands and their return to Russia's close ally, Greece. Russia itself had not use for the naval bases on these islands. The key to Alexander II"s position was that the British could not have them. Demobilizing them by giving them over entirely to Greece met the Russian's goals just fine. Britain's reach would be pushed halfway across the Mediterranean to Malta, thus ensuring that there would be no further British interference in the Levant.
After that, Russia was happy to talk peace.
Great Britain was also ready. While the French commerce raiding was not as successful as the British, the nation was also entirely dependent on trade. The threats to grain or cotton imports were too great for a shaky British economy and the Tory Majority in Parliament was looking less and less secure.
What was more, the fears of uprisings in India and Ireland were always present on the British mind (though overblown in reality). This was heightened by the French (largely inept) attempts to incite rebellion in those lands (yet another grievance that Seward had to sit through).
First Lord of the Treasury Disraeli had inquired his General Staff and Admiralty what it would take to eliminate French influence in North Africa. The Admiralty announced that this would take total domination of the waves of the Mediterranean. As the French and Russians had the advantage in ironclads and Great Britain could not possibly devote ALL of her heavy ships to the Mediterranean, it was estimated that the Navy could not assume such control for at least three years, this assuming a heavy British shipbuilding program which outpaced the allies.
The Commander-in-Chief, the Duke of Cambridge, then announced that "once the Royal Navy assumed domination and the enemy cannot supply Africa from Europe" (a big IF), then it would take his forces a minimum of three years to march across French North Africa, taking the ports one at a time.
Thus, Disraeli would commit his nation to at least six years of war.....if everything went WELL!
This was plainly unacceptable. Disraeli was inclined to put a stop to the matter before his government was thrown out on its ass.
Thus, by early October, much to the shock of most of the participants, an Armistice was signed between belligerents. No further attacks would be accepted. The only open issue would be the status of Natal and the Kimberly diamond fields.
Seward did not believe that war should continue over some damned rocks and quietly floated the idea of Natal being returned to the Boers (with no French military bases) while Britain laid claim to the diamond fields. That suited both Britain and France adequately well but the French negotiators, to their credit, would only approve a final treaty with consent of their ally. Seward was impressed given Napoleon III's propensity to backstab his own friends when it suited him.
Thus, against his every expectation, the Armistice was signed and ships dispatched throughout the world to spread the news.
In retrospect, Seward decided, that Great Powers of Europe realized that they had limited power to harm one another's holdings throughout the world and maintaining an extremely expensive conflict over marginal colonies and flyspecks on maps was not the way to prosperity.
Russia wanted to resume her exports. Britain wanted to ensure her imports. France, having survived a war with Britain largely intact, was willing to accept the peace.
Greece got what they wanted.
And so did America. Not only would Lincoln be credited with keeping his nation out of war but Seward be credited with negotiating the peace.....conveniently a month before the election. That must be worth a few votes.
While he was the Hague, Seward would do some quiet diplomacy as well. He inquired with the King of the Netherlands if he intended to maintain control over French Guiana permanently (and if he intended to maintain sovereignty over the Dutch West Indies). Seward knew that the "unconquered" portions of the French West Indies (French Guiana and St. Martin) had been transferred over to the Netherlands early in the war. The British were obviously not impressed with the ploy and Seward war frankly surprised that the Royal Navy hadn't simply sailed in and taken them anyway. The Dutch could hardly have done anything about the matter.
By 1868, it was apparent that the Dutch were a fading power. They were incapable of protecting their colonial possession from Britain, France, Spain, America, Brazil and, well, much of anyone. Only the low value of most of the Dutch colonies (the Dutch West Indies) or the willingness to allow the Dutch to keep the more valuable colonies (Dutch East Indies) in order to keep them out of the hands of more dangerous foes allowed the Dutch Empire to continue to exist.
The Dutch West Indies were largely a sinkhole of money and no longer made a profit. If they could not be defended, then Seward inquired why they could not be sold?
The Americans and Dutch had a good relationship, far better than the Dutch had with ancient rivals France, Britain and Spain.
Would the King consider selling to America?
The King agreed to think about the matter but was non-committal. Seward accepted this and made a mental note to bring up the matter again in a year or two.
November, 1868
United States
The 1868 election was remarkable for the inclusion of 7 new states (Calusa, Cahaba, Mescalero, Aranama, Nebraska, Yakima and Columbia) and 1 old one (Texas).
On the whole, the election would be a sweeping victory for the Republicans, particularly the Presidential vote in which all but three states (Texas, Nickajack and Cahaba) fell to the Republicans.
Down ballot the vote wasn't nearly THAT bad for the Democrats but still resulted in 30 new Republicans in the House of Representatives (the additional states would combine for 15 new Congressional seats) but only 10 in the Senate (14 new Senate seats were up for grabs and the Republicans only split them even with the Democrats. The Republicans would gain three other seats in the Senatorial elections. This was somewhat surprising as some estimates held the Republicans gaining as many as 20 seats in the Senate and 40 in the House of Representatives.
But the Republican Majority, already quite strong, had been extended for another 2 years at least.
Abraham Lincoln was already getting prepared for civilian life. He would write his memoirs and maybe take the wife on a grand tour of Europe, as General Grant did.
Let some other fellow deal with the hazards of office. The Illinoisan was quite done with it.
Natal
Having received their orders, the British Regulars and Cape Colony militia glared across from the perfidious French and their loathsome Boer allies. Had the orders arrived but a day or two later, the British rank and file were quite convinced that the French would have been pushed back into the ocean.
Instead, the British were sitting at the border of Natal (having retreated from the gates of Durban) and awaiting the reply of the Boers if they would give up claims to the diamond fields in exchange for Natal. Unknown to the British, Napoleon III had effectively said that any response other than the affirmative would result in the French forces sailing immediately for home.
In truth, the deal was as good as it was going to get for the Boers. With access to the sea, the Transvaal and Orange Free State were now less reliant on the British. Indeed, the governance of the new territory (which had been annexed by the British a generation prior) would give new life to the Boer peoples. They would control their own destiny and would call for large numbers of immigrants over the course of the next few decades to settle.
Seeing the British as an ever-present threat, Transvaal and the Orange Free State (and their lightly populated new territory of Natal) would politically unite into a single country in 1870, the Boer Republic.
Let the Bitch English Queen have her diamonds. All the Boers wanted was their independence.
Hispaniola
Bit by bit, the Haitian resistance collapsed. Women and young children, those lucky enough to survive, were shipped east to "foster families".
The remaining women were kept by the army as servants. The Catholic Church, which had been evicted from Haiti long ago as the natives preferred a mix of Catholicism and Voodun, would arrive to take charge of these lost souls. Fearing that the women and girls would be handed over to brothels, the women were effectively forcibly married off to the horde of soldiers settling the land. Like most Spanish (and Catholic in general) immigration in the New World over the past three and a half centuries, the European men vastly outnumbered the women.
Thus, the Spanish, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Portuguese, French, Italian, Brazilian, Venezuelan, Mexican, etc, etc, immigrants settling into their freeholds would have first choice of the young Haitian women. This would not make for a great deal of happy families....but it would make a large mulatto population over the next generation or two.
In November of 1868, the Spanish mercenary armies finally opted to assault the Citadelle Laferriere, the decades old fortress in the jungle built as a last stand against European conquest. For several years, Emperor Faustin II had been huddled safe in the fortress as his people were butchered around him. Periodically, he'd send his loyalists out for supplies, usually by robbing other Haitians.
By 1868, this was no longer possible and, hungry and resentful, his own personal guard murdered the Emperor and his family. They then abandoned the fortress in search of food. When the Spanish belatedly arrived, they found the doors open and Faustin's crow-pecked body still hanging from the walls.
The Spanish left a garrison to command the inland strongpoint and marched on looked for more blood and prisoners.
United States
The 1868 election was remarkable for the inclusion of 7 new states (Calusa, Cahaba, Mescalero, Aranama, Nebraska, Yakima and Columbia) and 1 old one (Texas).
On the whole, the election would be a sweeping victory for the Republicans, particularly the Presidential vote in which all but three states (Texas, Nickajack and Cahaba) fell to the Republicans.
Down ballot the vote wasn't nearly THAT bad for the Democrats but still resulted in 30 new Republicans in the House of Representatives (the additional states would combine for 15 new Congressional seats) but only 10 in the Senate (14 new Senate seats were up for grabs and the Republicans only split them even with the Democrats. The Republicans would gain three other seats in the Senatorial elections. This was somewhat surprising as some estimates held the Republicans gaining as many as 20 seats in the Senate and 40 in the House of Representatives.
But the Republican Majority, already quite strong, had been extended for another 2 years at least.
Abraham Lincoln was already getting prepared for civilian life. He would write his memoirs and maybe take the wife on a grand tour of Europe, as General Grant did.
Let some other fellow deal with the hazards of office. The Illinoisan was quite done with it.
Natal
Having received their orders, the British Regulars and Cape Colony militia glared across from the perfidious French and their loathsome Boer allies. Had the orders arrived but a day or two later, the British rank and file were quite convinced that the French would have been pushed back into the ocean.
Instead, the British were sitting at the border of Natal (having retreated from the gates of Durban) and awaiting the reply of the Boers if they would give up claims to the diamond fields in exchange for Natal. Unknown to the British, Napoleon III had effectively said that any response other than the affirmative would result in the French forces sailing immediately for home.
In truth, the deal was as good as it was going to get for the Boers. With access to the sea, the Transvaal and Orange Free State were now less reliant on the British. Indeed, the governance of the new territory (which had been annexed by the British a generation prior) would give new life to the Boer peoples. They would control their own destiny and would call for large numbers of immigrants over the course of the next few decades to settle.
Seeing the British as an ever-present threat, Transvaal and the Orange Free State (and their lightly populated new territory of Natal) would politically unite into a single country in 1870, the Boer Republic.
Let the Bitch English Queen have her diamonds. All the Boers wanted was their independence.
Hispaniola
Bit by bit, the Haitian resistance collapsed. Women and young children, those lucky enough to survive, were shipped east to "foster families".
The remaining women were kept by the army as servants. The Catholic Church, which had been evicted from Haiti long ago as the natives preferred a mix of Catholicism and Voodun, would arrive to take charge of these lost souls. Fearing that the women and girls would be handed over to brothels, the women were effectively forcibly married off to the horde of soldiers settling the land. Like most Spanish (and Catholic in general) immigration in the New World over the past three and a half centuries, the European men vastly outnumbered the women.
Thus, the Spanish, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Portuguese, French, Italian, Brazilian, Venezuelan, Mexican, etc, etc, immigrants settling into their freeholds would have first choice of the young Haitian women. This would not make for a great deal of happy families....but it would make a large mulatto population over the next generation or two.
In November of 1868, the Spanish mercenary armies finally opted to assault the Citadelle Laferriere, the decades old fortress in the jungle built as a last stand against European conquest. For several years, Emperor Faustin II had been huddled safe in the fortress as his people were butchered around him. Periodically, he'd send his loyalists out for supplies, usually by robbing other Haitians.
By 1868, this was no longer possible and, hungry and resentful, his own personal guard murdered the Emperor and his family. They then abandoned the fortress in search of food. When the Spanish belatedly arrived, they found the doors open and Faustin's crow-pecked body still hanging from the walls.
The Spanish left a garrison to command the inland strongpoint and marched on looked for more blood and prisoners.
December 25th, 1868
Washington
Having achieved agreement between the European powers (though the final treaty had yet to be signed) for the final peace (the armistice remained in effect), the American Secretary of State and President-elect sailed into Washington on Christmas day.
As his ship was early, William Seward had no one to welcome him. But a fast cab was hired and took the President-elect home. By happenstance, Vice-President (and Vice-President-elect) Hannibal Hamlin had been invited to Christmas dinner by Mrs. Seward. The entire party received quite a shock when Seward walked back through the door.
Seward had accomplished much for his country in the Hague and deserved a good long rest before taking up even greater duties in the months ahead.
Hughenden, England
Never before had First Lord Benjamin Disraeli been so grateful for a winter recess. After Gladstone decided to immolate the Liberal Party by addressing the Irish Home Rule argument in Parliament, Disraeli had been convinced that the Tories would remain in power for a generation.
But losing a war had a way of changing that. Of course, Britain had not really LOST the war. But they certainly could not claim to win it (though the Tory backbenchers certainly tried).
Britain made gains:
Martinique and Guadeloupe had finally fallen to Her Majesty.
Upper Burma as well.
However, there were loses as well:
Cyprus, Crete and the Ionian Islands now served the King of the Greeks.
Natal appeared to be going to the Boers.
On the balance, it was tough to say who won. The French West Indies were worth little these days, probably more expensive to administer than any conceivable boon to possessing them. No wonder the Emperor was willing to let them go.
Upper Burma was....well, nobody in Britain had the slightest idea what Upper Burma was or if it would benefit the Empire in any way whatsoever. The mapmakers were the ones who had to move the borders a fraction of an inch to account for this.
In the meantime, the loss of the Greek islands, though only recently gained, may come to haunt Great Britain as these were ideal ports to use against any threat being sent from Europe via the nearly finished Suez Canal.
Granting Natal to the Boers may strengthen a regional rival in Southern Africa.
The Liberals, led by Gladstone (Palmerston was dead and Russell out of politics), naturally condemned the war itself and even more the peace settlement. But Disraeli was convinced that there was little more to gain by extended conflict and much to lose. Having already spent two years without American grain and cotton from 1862 to 1864, the nation did not enjoy a shortage again. The American merchants refused to sail to disputed ports lest their ships and cargoes be seized as contraband.
Still, the next election would likely see the Tory Majority narrowed...if it survived at all. Disraeli would do all in his power to keep a Vote of No Confidence off the floor of the Commons.
Budapest
The Hungarian Parliament had initially felt that the Compromise of 1867 would be welcomed by the Hungarian people. Since the Rebellion of 1848, the Hungarians had been without many of their traditional rights.
However, the Compromise would lead to a "real" Union between Vienna and Budapest, not just a Personal Union as had been the case before 1848. The Hungarians would be forever tied to the loathed Austrians.
This was too much. Reading the mood of the riotous crowds, the Hungarian Diet, expecting to announce a very different future, would formally reject the Emperor's office and pronounce that the pre-1848 status quo would be returned. The Emperor, outraged by what he considered a betrayal, refused to accept this and, within weeks, Hungary rose up in rebellion once again.
Berlin
Though Von Bismarck had served Wilhelm I well, the defeat in the previous war could only result in the man's exclusion from office. The King of Prussia had never liked the man's reactionary views or high-handed treatment of his staff.
The King did not resent Bismarck for his failure.....in truth, Wilhelm admired his former Chancellor's aggressiveness....but the loss of much of Prussia's territory (the Prussian Rhine, Posen, part of Silesia and claims to Schleswig and Holstein) could only result in a change of government.
The new ministers, finding the nation bankrupt and divided, would take a less militaristic course, even "retiring" Von Roon and Von Moltke, two exceptional soldiers. The Prussian Army didn't have a large budget and was already a shadow of its former self.
Upon his Ministers' advice, the King would see a re-approachment to his alienated neighbors in Germany who felt that Prussia had been bullying them to get its way for too long. Dreams of becoming Emperor of the various Kingdoms of Germany were now dead.
The King could, however, keep the idea of a united Germany at the forefront, even if not under his power. The Northwest German Confederation, led by Hanover (which had absorbed much of the Prussian Rhineland), had yet to regain the economic power displayed under the old order. Thus, the King of Prussia would offer to reform the customs union and other bodies which had allowed the Germans to prosper for decades.
The King of Hanover had no intention of allowing Prussia the chance to regain ascendancy over Germany again. He refused unless Austria was an equal partner, thus created a Germany with three generally equal powers (Hanover, Prussia and Austria) and a dozen secondary powers (Hesse, Oldenburg, Mecklenburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Bavaria, etc) and a host of smaller powers to check Prussia's ambitions.
Thus any significant step back towards a German nation would have to wait until Austria settled her own affairs.
Washington
Having achieved agreement between the European powers (though the final treaty had yet to be signed) for the final peace (the armistice remained in effect), the American Secretary of State and President-elect sailed into Washington on Christmas day.
As his ship was early, William Seward had no one to welcome him. But a fast cab was hired and took the President-elect home. By happenstance, Vice-President (and Vice-President-elect) Hannibal Hamlin had been invited to Christmas dinner by Mrs. Seward. The entire party received quite a shock when Seward walked back through the door.
Seward had accomplished much for his country in the Hague and deserved a good long rest before taking up even greater duties in the months ahead.
Hughenden, England
Never before had First Lord Benjamin Disraeli been so grateful for a winter recess. After Gladstone decided to immolate the Liberal Party by addressing the Irish Home Rule argument in Parliament, Disraeli had been convinced that the Tories would remain in power for a generation.
But losing a war had a way of changing that. Of course, Britain had not really LOST the war. But they certainly could not claim to win it (though the Tory backbenchers certainly tried).
Britain made gains:
Martinique and Guadeloupe had finally fallen to Her Majesty.
Upper Burma as well.
However, there were loses as well:
Cyprus, Crete and the Ionian Islands now served the King of the Greeks.
Natal appeared to be going to the Boers.
On the balance, it was tough to say who won. The French West Indies were worth little these days, probably more expensive to administer than any conceivable boon to possessing them. No wonder the Emperor was willing to let them go.
Upper Burma was....well, nobody in Britain had the slightest idea what Upper Burma was or if it would benefit the Empire in any way whatsoever. The mapmakers were the ones who had to move the borders a fraction of an inch to account for this.
In the meantime, the loss of the Greek islands, though only recently gained, may come to haunt Great Britain as these were ideal ports to use against any threat being sent from Europe via the nearly finished Suez Canal.
Granting Natal to the Boers may strengthen a regional rival in Southern Africa.
The Liberals, led by Gladstone (Palmerston was dead and Russell out of politics), naturally condemned the war itself and even more the peace settlement. But Disraeli was convinced that there was little more to gain by extended conflict and much to lose. Having already spent two years without American grain and cotton from 1862 to 1864, the nation did not enjoy a shortage again. The American merchants refused to sail to disputed ports lest their ships and cargoes be seized as contraband.
Still, the next election would likely see the Tory Majority narrowed...if it survived at all. Disraeli would do all in his power to keep a Vote of No Confidence off the floor of the Commons.
Budapest
The Hungarian Parliament had initially felt that the Compromise of 1867 would be welcomed by the Hungarian people. Since the Rebellion of 1848, the Hungarians had been without many of their traditional rights.
However, the Compromise would lead to a "real" Union between Vienna and Budapest, not just a Personal Union as had been the case before 1848. The Hungarians would be forever tied to the loathed Austrians.
This was too much. Reading the mood of the riotous crowds, the Hungarian Diet, expecting to announce a very different future, would formally reject the Emperor's office and pronounce that the pre-1848 status quo would be returned. The Emperor, outraged by what he considered a betrayal, refused to accept this and, within weeks, Hungary rose up in rebellion once again.
Berlin
Though Von Bismarck had served Wilhelm I well, the defeat in the previous war could only result in the man's exclusion from office. The King of Prussia had never liked the man's reactionary views or high-handed treatment of his staff.
The King did not resent Bismarck for his failure.....in truth, Wilhelm admired his former Chancellor's aggressiveness....but the loss of much of Prussia's territory (the Prussian Rhine, Posen, part of Silesia and claims to Schleswig and Holstein) could only result in a change of government.
The new ministers, finding the nation bankrupt and divided, would take a less militaristic course, even "retiring" Von Roon and Von Moltke, two exceptional soldiers. The Prussian Army didn't have a large budget and was already a shadow of its former self.
Upon his Ministers' advice, the King would see a re-approachment to his alienated neighbors in Germany who felt that Prussia had been bullying them to get its way for too long. Dreams of becoming Emperor of the various Kingdoms of Germany were now dead.
The King could, however, keep the idea of a united Germany at the forefront, even if not under his power. The Northwest German Confederation, led by Hanover (which had absorbed much of the Prussian Rhineland), had yet to regain the economic power displayed under the old order. Thus, the King of Prussia would offer to reform the customs union and other bodies which had allowed the Germans to prosper for decades.
The King of Hanover had no intention of allowing Prussia the chance to regain ascendancy over Germany again. He refused unless Austria was an equal partner, thus created a Germany with three generally equal powers (Hanover, Prussia and Austria) and a dozen secondary powers (Hesse, Oldenburg, Mecklenburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Bavaria, etc) and a host of smaller powers to check Prussia's ambitions.
Thus any significant step back towards a German nation would have to wait until Austria settled her own affairs.
January, 1869
Samoa
After years of war, the United States Navy had returned to a series of exploratory voyages. Several expeditions were sent to the Arctic and Antarctic while others (more popular with the sailors, to be sure) would explore the smaller central Pacific islands.
The American fleet, under Admiral David Porter, would visit Tahiti, which had evicted its French "commissioner" during the recent war. It would not be until 1869 that the French managed to send an expedition to regain control over the Tahitian Kingdom. Seeing the heavily armed American fleet, the French commander wisely opted to retreat.
A trade agreement was formed between Tahiti and America, more a statement of intent for the other powers than any real expectation of value for the Americans.
A month later, the American fleet moved on to Samoa, the largest and most populous islands in the Pacific to not yet be aligned with the Americans.
The Americans were welcomed by the tribal chiefs (a large number of gifts probably helped).
Leaving with a trade agreement in hand for whatever it was that Samoans produced (copra was apparently the staple). Samoa was also a regular stopping point for whaling ships looking for water and wood. The scientists on the expedition believed that pineapple, cocoa, rubber, coffee and other goods may find the soil quite friendly.
The natives seemed friendly enough and remarkably athletic. The Americans would introduce the sport of baseball to the Samoans, who seemed to take to the idea quite well.
There remained a few missionaries on the islands, including Anglican and Catholic. The Americans did not seek to offend any of them.
Washington
Years before, Frederick and William Seward Jr., had sought to investigate the alleged abuses in Haiti. They were refused entry and rudely evicted from the island of Hispaniola. America was not in a position to force the matter at that point but, now with the peace, a second investigation could be dispatched, one backed by the power of the United States.
Both brothers had spent the holidays badgering their father to demand access to Hispaniola. Finally, the President-elect relented and agreed to send them upon his inauguration. While President-elect Seward would have liked to make his son Frederick the new Secretary of State, he knew perfectly well that would be condemned as outrageous nepotism, even among the Republicans.
The best he could do for his son Frederick was allow him to keep the office of Assistant Secretary of State appointed by Lincoln.
Unfortunately, the Seward family would be draped in mourning as the matriarch, Francis Seward, would die in February, a few short weeks before she would have become First Lady.
In the month following the uprising in Hungary, the anti-Habsburg campaign would spread to Transylvania, Croatia, Slovenia and other regions.
Natal
The Boer leadership would grudgingly agree to the French terms of the Treaty of the Hague and ceded all lands of the Kimberly formation to the Cape Colony in exchange for Natal. Most were happy enough with the arrangement. The Boers numbered roughly 200,000 and could not seriously expected to withstand the might of the British Empire for long.
Of course, the Boer farmers, expecting to finally be left alone to their farms, would in the coming years discover other resources buried in the soil.
Morocco
The last of the French forces retreated from Morocco. The King, watching them cross the border, would vow revenge upon the damned minions of Napoleon III.
Samoa
After years of war, the United States Navy had returned to a series of exploratory voyages. Several expeditions were sent to the Arctic and Antarctic while others (more popular with the sailors, to be sure) would explore the smaller central Pacific islands.
The American fleet, under Admiral David Porter, would visit Tahiti, which had evicted its French "commissioner" during the recent war. It would not be until 1869 that the French managed to send an expedition to regain control over the Tahitian Kingdom. Seeing the heavily armed American fleet, the French commander wisely opted to retreat.
A trade agreement was formed between Tahiti and America, more a statement of intent for the other powers than any real expectation of value for the Americans.
A month later, the American fleet moved on to Samoa, the largest and most populous islands in the Pacific to not yet be aligned with the Americans.
The Americans were welcomed by the tribal chiefs (a large number of gifts probably helped).
Leaving with a trade agreement in hand for whatever it was that Samoans produced (copra was apparently the staple). Samoa was also a regular stopping point for whaling ships looking for water and wood. The scientists on the expedition believed that pineapple, cocoa, rubber, coffee and other goods may find the soil quite friendly.
The natives seemed friendly enough and remarkably athletic. The Americans would introduce the sport of baseball to the Samoans, who seemed to take to the idea quite well.
There remained a few missionaries on the islands, including Anglican and Catholic. The Americans did not seek to offend any of them.
Washington
Years before, Frederick and William Seward Jr., had sought to investigate the alleged abuses in Haiti. They were refused entry and rudely evicted from the island of Hispaniola. America was not in a position to force the matter at that point but, now with the peace, a second investigation could be dispatched, one backed by the power of the United States.
Both brothers had spent the holidays badgering their father to demand access to Hispaniola. Finally, the President-elect relented and agreed to send them upon his inauguration. While President-elect Seward would have liked to make his son Frederick the new Secretary of State, he knew perfectly well that would be condemned as outrageous nepotism, even among the Republicans.
The best he could do for his son Frederick was allow him to keep the office of Assistant Secretary of State appointed by Lincoln.
Unfortunately, the Seward family would be draped in mourning as the matriarch, Francis Seward, would die in February, a few short weeks before she would have become First Lady.
In the month following the uprising in Hungary, the anti-Habsburg campaign would spread to Transylvania, Croatia, Slovenia and other regions.
Natal
The Boer leadership would grudgingly agree to the French terms of the Treaty of the Hague and ceded all lands of the Kimberly formation to the Cape Colony in exchange for Natal. Most were happy enough with the arrangement. The Boers numbered roughly 200,000 and could not seriously expected to withstand the might of the British Empire for long.
Of course, the Boer farmers, expecting to finally be left alone to their farms, would in the coming years discover other resources buried in the soil.
Morocco
The last of the French forces retreated from Morocco. The King, watching them cross the border, would vow revenge upon the damned minions of Napoleon III.
February, 1869
Vienna
The Emperor would call for aid from Russia and Italy only to find neither nation particularly interested in bringing the Hungarian rebellion to heel. Years before, the Czar had helped put down numerous rebellions in Central Europe (in 1848) but this did not generate enough good will to prevent a coalition forming against the Russians in the Crimean War.
The new Czar was painfully aware that gratitude was not a lasting commodity in European politics.
Over the winter of 1868-69, the rebellion spun out of control to the point that the Emperor huddled in Vienna, fearful of stepping out of line. He could not comprehend why so few heads of government were disinterested in putting down a rebellion against Royal Authority. Did they not remember the French revolution?
But the times had changed. Prussia was a whipped cur and an enemy of Austria. Italy was basking in post-unification euphoria. And the Czar, secure in his borders and busy in the Levant, was more than happy to allow an old enemy to collapse under its own weight.
Morocco
Having expelled the French (with the aid of the British), the King of Morocco would immediately empty his treasury to upgrade the weaponry of his army. The French had too easily brushed his forces aside. It was now apparent that the old Moorish style of battle was obsolete.
What was more, the King also quietly began shipping weapons to his fellow Arab-Berbers of French North Africa. By 1869, nearly 4% of French North Africa's population consisted of French (or other Christian European) nationals.
Egypt
The Khedive was similarly having trouble with France but managed to keep his concerns to himself. Instead, the Khedive was preparing a formal opening ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal. While most of the Khedives stock in the canal had been sold, there remained the right to fees and taxes on traffic to come to Egypt.
A dozen Kings, Prime Ministers and other dignitaries had already accepted the invitations.
He would show the Europeans that Egypt was every bit as modern a nation as they came.
Russia, Polish Provinces
Though no one exactly knew why, the Czar had included the Jews of Poland in his edicts what only the Russian language may be used in government, schools, newspapers, etc. Yiddish was banned as was Polish.
That the Czar treated the Jews as badly as the Poles did not keep Polish anti-Semitism from rising. The Poles needed a scapegoat for their troubles and the Jews were easy targets.
Thus, by 1869, the Jews were fleeing Poland in proportion of the Poles themselves. Nearly 100,000 Poles and 10,000 Jews departed Polish Russia in 1869, most going to America. However, there were a smaller number of Jews who migrated to the Egyptian Levant. The Khedive vowed to rule above religion and removed effectively all of the old Muslim suppressions on minority faiths. By the 1870's, even some Russians and Poles were migrating to the Levant along with Greeks, Bosniaks, Albanians and other Balkan peoples suffering from economic decline and unrest.
Many of these peoples would settle in Jerusalem, a Holy City of three faiths. This was encouraged by the Khedive as he saw the Holy City as a potential tourist draw to lure in international funds. The Khedive also wanted to diversify the local population of the Levant to keep the Arab majority from rebellion. For this, the Khedive also encouraged Muslim and Christian Egyptians themselves to settle. He even gave permission for certain Turks to remain in the Levant.
However, most of the Poles and Jews would migrate to America where Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Chicago were the earliest destinations for most immigrants. In these crowded cities, the easterners would often find rivalries with the Germans and Irish neighborhoods.
Calcutta
Throughout the past decade, various movements to increase the responsibility of educated Indians on the subcontinent had been encouraged by both British and native upper classes. However, the war with France and Russia, rumors of attempts to gain Indian alliance against the British and, of course, the perceived threat of the Suez Canal and Russian intervention in Afghanistan would raise British thoughts to the point of paranoia.
With the departure of the popular and sympathetic Sir John Lawrence from the position of Viceroy in 1869, a series of suppressive edicts were issued by his successors from that point onward which resulted in arrests of even the most moderate and loyal supporters of reform.
Vienna
The Emperor would call for aid from Russia and Italy only to find neither nation particularly interested in bringing the Hungarian rebellion to heel. Years before, the Czar had helped put down numerous rebellions in Central Europe (in 1848) but this did not generate enough good will to prevent a coalition forming against the Russians in the Crimean War.
The new Czar was painfully aware that gratitude was not a lasting commodity in European politics.
Over the winter of 1868-69, the rebellion spun out of control to the point that the Emperor huddled in Vienna, fearful of stepping out of line. He could not comprehend why so few heads of government were disinterested in putting down a rebellion against Royal Authority. Did they not remember the French revolution?
But the times had changed. Prussia was a whipped cur and an enemy of Austria. Italy was basking in post-unification euphoria. And the Czar, secure in his borders and busy in the Levant, was more than happy to allow an old enemy to collapse under its own weight.
Morocco
Having expelled the French (with the aid of the British), the King of Morocco would immediately empty his treasury to upgrade the weaponry of his army. The French had too easily brushed his forces aside. It was now apparent that the old Moorish style of battle was obsolete.
What was more, the King also quietly began shipping weapons to his fellow Arab-Berbers of French North Africa. By 1869, nearly 4% of French North Africa's population consisted of French (or other Christian European) nationals.
Egypt
The Khedive was similarly having trouble with France but managed to keep his concerns to himself. Instead, the Khedive was preparing a formal opening ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal. While most of the Khedives stock in the canal had been sold, there remained the right to fees and taxes on traffic to come to Egypt.
A dozen Kings, Prime Ministers and other dignitaries had already accepted the invitations.
He would show the Europeans that Egypt was every bit as modern a nation as they came.
Russia, Polish Provinces
Though no one exactly knew why, the Czar had included the Jews of Poland in his edicts what only the Russian language may be used in government, schools, newspapers, etc. Yiddish was banned as was Polish.
That the Czar treated the Jews as badly as the Poles did not keep Polish anti-Semitism from rising. The Poles needed a scapegoat for their troubles and the Jews were easy targets.
Thus, by 1869, the Jews were fleeing Poland in proportion of the Poles themselves. Nearly 100,000 Poles and 10,000 Jews departed Polish Russia in 1869, most going to America. However, there were a smaller number of Jews who migrated to the Egyptian Levant. The Khedive vowed to rule above religion and removed effectively all of the old Muslim suppressions on minority faiths. By the 1870's, even some Russians and Poles were migrating to the Levant along with Greeks, Bosniaks, Albanians and other Balkan peoples suffering from economic decline and unrest.
Many of these peoples would settle in Jerusalem, a Holy City of three faiths. This was encouraged by the Khedive as he saw the Holy City as a potential tourist draw to lure in international funds. The Khedive also wanted to diversify the local population of the Levant to keep the Arab majority from rebellion. For this, the Khedive also encouraged Muslim and Christian Egyptians themselves to settle. He even gave permission for certain Turks to remain in the Levant.
However, most of the Poles and Jews would migrate to America where Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Chicago were the earliest destinations for most immigrants. In these crowded cities, the easterners would often find rivalries with the Germans and Irish neighborhoods.
Calcutta
Throughout the past decade, various movements to increase the responsibility of educated Indians on the subcontinent had been encouraged by both British and native upper classes. However, the war with France and Russia, rumors of attempts to gain Indian alliance against the British and, of course, the perceived threat of the Suez Canal and Russian intervention in Afghanistan would raise British thoughts to the point of paranoia.
With the departure of the popular and sympathetic Sir John Lawrence from the position of Viceroy in 1869, a series of suppressive edicts were issued by his successors from that point onward which resulted in arrests of even the most moderate and loyal supporters of reform.
Last edited:
March, 1869
Washington
Still grieving for the loss of his wife, William Seward took the oath of office as the 17th President of the United States.
Hannibal Hamlin would remain Vice-President (and have a closer relationship with Seward than he had with Lincoln).
Stanton would finally retire (he and Seward had been cordial but not close) and be replaced by Ulysses S. Grant.
Seward would leave key members of the Lincoln administration in power, including Secretary of the Navy Dahlgren.
Seward chose Hamilton Fish as his own replacement as Secretary of State. The man's judicious temper and able administration would be great benefits to the nation going forward.
London
Though the Tory Government survived the middling result of the recent war, it was apparent that reforms were needed in the organization of the army.
The Duke of Cambridge was the Queen's cousin and an able soldier who knew the army front and back. Unfortunately, the word "hidebound" applied to the Duke as he loathed the idea of reform "until it was proven necessary". While he had championed the introduction of modern weapons like the Armstrong Cannon (he also supported replacing the old Enfields for years but the Ordnance Department had been responsible for that fiasco), the organization of the army was little changed since the day of Napoleon I.
The Duke continued to support the "purchased commission" system which held that all commissions had to be purchased. The high price effectively prevented 80-90% of the population of even rising to Ensign under normal circumstances. Promotion was almost entirely offered by seniority and even then the officer must "purchase" the next level of rank. If he could not, then the next most senior in line would be approached.
The idea of the system was to ensure that only wealthy men who had a stake in supporting the status quo and would not be likely to revolt.
This system only ran up to the rank of Major and Lieutenant Colonel. All positions of Colonel and above were appointed and almost exclusively limited to the absolute crust of society. There were more peers bearing the rank of General than there were in the House of Lords (it was joked) or showed up on the Queen's Court day. Nothing had ever altered the Duke's position on this matter and he'd reduced the talent pool of the higher ranks of the army to practically a few hundred Britons.
Despite his willingness to introduce new weapons, this did not extend to a flexibility of training or tactics. Evidence that the new weapons could fire 3-5x more shots at greater range with greater accuracy would hint that maybe the large formation charges which as much as not resembled the phalanx of Alexander the Great would not be effective did not seem to concern the Duke. Hearing of exalted British Regiments with a core of seasoned professionals being slaughtered in Montreal, Quebec and Bangkok also made little impact on the Duke. Despite unrest among the junior officers, there was no alteration in tactics.
The Army had already received a terrible black eye in the Crimea where the ghastly performance of the logistical and medical branches were highlighted for all to see for the first time in photographs shared with the general public.
But....still....the Duke refused to consider modernization.
He even refused to form a General Staff akin to what had been initially designed by Frederick II a century prior. A handful of clerks remained in charge of vast portions of army Quartermaster and Commissariat departments. Recruiting the impoverished and criminal elements remained common. Training involved a huge amount of marching with great detail put on minor uniform ascetics.
Disraeli wanted to replace the Duke....but dared not. Instead he quietly politicked to have the Commander-in-Chief report the Secretary of War. The Duke naturally complained to the Queen and Disraeli was forced to defend his decision to Her Majesty.
France
Admiral de Genouilly had been Naval Minister for 2 years and was quite blunt with the Emperor: the ships being produced by the British were flat-out superior.
It was not the guns or strength of steam engines that was the difference.....but the wooden hulls and thinner armor were no match for the British product launching from half a dozen drydocks.
Initial elation at the defeat of smaller British fleets at Cyprus and Crete would be badly undermined by the crushing losses at the first and second battles of Corfu.
Over the past century and a half, the British had such overwhelming quantitative advantages that the only real debate was if the British advantage in quantity outweighed the British advantage in quality. In the 7 Years War, the British easily overcame the next best fleets in Europe, that of France and Spain.
In the American Rebellion, the French had spent over a decade ruthlessly improving their fleets readiness (as did the Spanish) but even then there were few true tactical defeats of the Royal Navy even when badly outnumbered (the British preferred to forget the Battle of the Chesapeake). When the Dutch Republic joined in, the Royal Navy was almost amused and had no trouble at all blockading the Dutch completely (shattering any pretense of the Dutch being a power).
There were some worries after the dreadful consequences of that British defeat in that war but the French and Spanish thoughtfully reduced British anxiety by the French Revolution immolating the French Navy to the point of uselessness and Spain's idiot King Carlos IV's long reign would see the momentary resurgence of Spanish power proven to be a mirage.
In the meantime, the British reformed mildly when needed and rebuilt their navy to heights never before scaled in the Napoleonic Wars.
In the peace since then, France and Spain had made few gains to return as a threat to the preeminent naval power on earth through the 50 years following the Napoleonic Wars.
However, 1859 proved a milestone when the French launched the "Gloire", a powerful ironclad seagoing warship. The British, sensing the threat, would immediately throw their superior production facilities into building the Warrior and Black Prince. The battles of the American Civil War, the "French and British War" as the Americans called it and then the "Siamese War" (as the British called it) with France and Russia would prove without a doubt that unarmored ships could not be pitted against armored.
For the first time in three generations, the French had the capacity to challenge Britain at sea. The new ironclad steamships required fewer sailors and less "seamanship". In less than a decade, both Great Britain and France would launch over 20 ironclad warships.
Unfortunately for France, the inherent weakness of the French wooden hulls and lighter armor proved critical. Worse, the French had only wooden-hulled ships in development, including the most modern Alma and Ocean class vessels. In the meantime, the British were turning almost entirely to iron and steel-hulled ships with several superior technical innovations like bulkheads.
Key technology like guns and engines? The French kept pace.
The rest? Not so much.
Admiral de Genouilly would be blunt. Effectively all development on the Alma and Ocean class should be halted and the French resources thrown into steel-hulled ships. Anything else was a waste of time.
The Admiral conceded that would put the French another year or two behind the British in production but producing expensive ships that wouldn't last ten minutes against the British seemed a waste of time and money. After two years of war, the Emperor cared about wasting money.
Knowing he'd let his country's age-old enemy steal yet another march on him (or some similar naval metaphor), the Emperor would agree to de Genouilly's demands.
Washington
Still grieving for the loss of his wife, William Seward took the oath of office as the 17th President of the United States.
Hannibal Hamlin would remain Vice-President (and have a closer relationship with Seward than he had with Lincoln).
Stanton would finally retire (he and Seward had been cordial but not close) and be replaced by Ulysses S. Grant.
Seward would leave key members of the Lincoln administration in power, including Secretary of the Navy Dahlgren.
Seward chose Hamilton Fish as his own replacement as Secretary of State. The man's judicious temper and able administration would be great benefits to the nation going forward.
London
Though the Tory Government survived the middling result of the recent war, it was apparent that reforms were needed in the organization of the army.
The Duke of Cambridge was the Queen's cousin and an able soldier who knew the army front and back. Unfortunately, the word "hidebound" applied to the Duke as he loathed the idea of reform "until it was proven necessary". While he had championed the introduction of modern weapons like the Armstrong Cannon (he also supported replacing the old Enfields for years but the Ordnance Department had been responsible for that fiasco), the organization of the army was little changed since the day of Napoleon I.
The Duke continued to support the "purchased commission" system which held that all commissions had to be purchased. The high price effectively prevented 80-90% of the population of even rising to Ensign under normal circumstances. Promotion was almost entirely offered by seniority and even then the officer must "purchase" the next level of rank. If he could not, then the next most senior in line would be approached.
The idea of the system was to ensure that only wealthy men who had a stake in supporting the status quo and would not be likely to revolt.
This system only ran up to the rank of Major and Lieutenant Colonel. All positions of Colonel and above were appointed and almost exclusively limited to the absolute crust of society. There were more peers bearing the rank of General than there were in the House of Lords (it was joked) or showed up on the Queen's Court day. Nothing had ever altered the Duke's position on this matter and he'd reduced the talent pool of the higher ranks of the army to practically a few hundred Britons.
Despite his willingness to introduce new weapons, this did not extend to a flexibility of training or tactics. Evidence that the new weapons could fire 3-5x more shots at greater range with greater accuracy would hint that maybe the large formation charges which as much as not resembled the phalanx of Alexander the Great would not be effective did not seem to concern the Duke. Hearing of exalted British Regiments with a core of seasoned professionals being slaughtered in Montreal, Quebec and Bangkok also made little impact on the Duke. Despite unrest among the junior officers, there was no alteration in tactics.
The Army had already received a terrible black eye in the Crimea where the ghastly performance of the logistical and medical branches were highlighted for all to see for the first time in photographs shared with the general public.
But....still....the Duke refused to consider modernization.
He even refused to form a General Staff akin to what had been initially designed by Frederick II a century prior. A handful of clerks remained in charge of vast portions of army Quartermaster and Commissariat departments. Recruiting the impoverished and criminal elements remained common. Training involved a huge amount of marching with great detail put on minor uniform ascetics.
Disraeli wanted to replace the Duke....but dared not. Instead he quietly politicked to have the Commander-in-Chief report the Secretary of War. The Duke naturally complained to the Queen and Disraeli was forced to defend his decision to Her Majesty.
France
Admiral de Genouilly had been Naval Minister for 2 years and was quite blunt with the Emperor: the ships being produced by the British were flat-out superior.
It was not the guns or strength of steam engines that was the difference.....but the wooden hulls and thinner armor were no match for the British product launching from half a dozen drydocks.
Initial elation at the defeat of smaller British fleets at Cyprus and Crete would be badly undermined by the crushing losses at the first and second battles of Corfu.
Over the past century and a half, the British had such overwhelming quantitative advantages that the only real debate was if the British advantage in quantity outweighed the British advantage in quality. In the 7 Years War, the British easily overcame the next best fleets in Europe, that of France and Spain.
In the American Rebellion, the French had spent over a decade ruthlessly improving their fleets readiness (as did the Spanish) but even then there were few true tactical defeats of the Royal Navy even when badly outnumbered (the British preferred to forget the Battle of the Chesapeake). When the Dutch Republic joined in, the Royal Navy was almost amused and had no trouble at all blockading the Dutch completely (shattering any pretense of the Dutch being a power).
There were some worries after the dreadful consequences of that British defeat in that war but the French and Spanish thoughtfully reduced British anxiety by the French Revolution immolating the French Navy to the point of uselessness and Spain's idiot King Carlos IV's long reign would see the momentary resurgence of Spanish power proven to be a mirage.
In the meantime, the British reformed mildly when needed and rebuilt their navy to heights never before scaled in the Napoleonic Wars.
In the peace since then, France and Spain had made few gains to return as a threat to the preeminent naval power on earth through the 50 years following the Napoleonic Wars.
However, 1859 proved a milestone when the French launched the "Gloire", a powerful ironclad seagoing warship. The British, sensing the threat, would immediately throw their superior production facilities into building the Warrior and Black Prince. The battles of the American Civil War, the "French and British War" as the Americans called it and then the "Siamese War" (as the British called it) with France and Russia would prove without a doubt that unarmored ships could not be pitted against armored.
For the first time in three generations, the French had the capacity to challenge Britain at sea. The new ironclad steamships required fewer sailors and less "seamanship". In less than a decade, both Great Britain and France would launch over 20 ironclad warships.
Unfortunately for France, the inherent weakness of the French wooden hulls and lighter armor proved critical. Worse, the French had only wooden-hulled ships in development, including the most modern Alma and Ocean class vessels. In the meantime, the British were turning almost entirely to iron and steel-hulled ships with several superior technical innovations like bulkheads.
Key technology like guns and engines? The French kept pace.
The rest? Not so much.
Admiral de Genouilly would be blunt. Effectively all development on the Alma and Ocean class should be halted and the French resources thrown into steel-hulled ships. Anything else was a waste of time.
The Admiral conceded that would put the French another year or two behind the British in production but producing expensive ships that wouldn't last ten minutes against the British seemed a waste of time and money. After two years of war, the Emperor cared about wasting money.
Knowing he'd let his country's age-old enemy steal yet another march on him (or some similar naval metaphor), the Emperor would agree to de Genouilly's demands.
April, 1869
Badakhshan, Central Asia
For centuries, the control over the Badakhshan region of central Asia had been hotly contested between the Persians, Afghans and other parties.
In early1869, the Russia managed to wrestle control from a series of contenders and suddenly had an avenue into Afghanistan. And Afghanistan was the avenue into India.
By mid-1869, the British would be in a panic and began demanding that the Emir of Afghanistan sign a treaty of alliance (to which he would refuse).
By late-1869, the Viceroy would be ordered to establish a relationship, no matter what, even if this required dispatching envoys to Kabul regardless of the Emir's threats.
London
"Samoa?" Disraeli's eyes raised.
The First Lord prided himself on having an encyclopedic memory regarding geography but the name escaped him.
"It is one of the flyspeck islands of the Pacific, I believe, somewhere between Hawaii and Australia", his secretary estimated.
Rumors had already abounded that an American squadron had politely turned about a French flotilla bound for Tahiti to enforce their will over what passed for a local chief....or King.....or God-Emperor.....or what have you. Now, they were after this......this......Samoa?
In truth, Disraeli was not terribly surprised nor overly worried that the Americans were inclined to assume some petty islands in the middle of the Pacific. Despite the recent war between the two nations (and Disraeli had roundly put THAT at the feet of Palmerston), Disraeli doubted that the United States and Great Britain had any particular inclination to assault British possessions. He wasn't losing any sleep that America was planning to invade India....or Ireland.....or even the West Indies.
If anything, many Americans wanted to ship THEIR Africans to the West Indies, not assume control over others. Americans seemed content with trade and the rest of the world benefited from her massive merchant marine, even Britain.
"Very well, I will inquire with the American Ambassador the next time I see him."
In the meantime and much more importantly, Gladstone was transparently attempting to introduce controversial legislation in Parliament in hopes of splitting the Tories. Disraeli had done this to great effect over the years and now apparently the opposition was trying to return the favor. But the First Lord was more than ready for him. The government had survived a less than wholly successful war. He was quite sure it would survive the peace.
Spain
Queen Isabella rarely concerned herself with figures but the constant whining of her Ministers caused her to confront the facts that the Hispaniolan War was getting expensive. With most of the land being apportioned to the victorious conquerors and probably years away from regaining any sense of cultivation, there seemed to be no real prospect for a financial return for all the expenditure.
Even approving turning "captive" Haitians into "servants" would not return the coffee and sugar plantations to profitability for years. Apparently, there were so many dead that the labor force was non-existent. No real census had been taken since before Haiti overthrew France's domination during the Revolution but the estimates of a pre-Spanish invasion of 600-800,000 souls could be reduced to closer to 280,000 (a 33% to 60% reduction). Historians would later debate this endlessly but it would be generally accepted that at least a 50% reduction had occurred with a heavy emphasis on male dead.
The Catholic Church had been quite helpful in regaining control over the former Haiti. Their priests had been evicted from the nation after the Revolution and the people fallen into living in sin. The priests would take personal charge of the young woman (who they feared would be turned over to brothels) and instead organized a series of mass marriages between the soldiers and their typically unwilling wives.
Desiring to avoid a fully black or mulatto nation, the Queen's government offered further incentives for first Spaniards, then ANY Catholic, to settle on Hispaniola. The orphanages of Spain, Cuba and Puerto Rico were emptied and the healthy children were shipped abroad (and off the government dole). The Church typically opposed this sort of thing as many orphan girls ended up serving as nuns but the Queen's support for the Church in Hispaniola was enough to get them to accept the situation.
In all, over 40,000 Spanish, Cuban and Puerto Rican Orphans (and very young criminal offenders) were transported to Hispaniola from 1865 to 1875.
Beyond this, nearly 106,000 Spanish and 70,000 other Catholic Europeans would migrate from the start of the invasion in the early 1860's to 1875 (excluding the soldiers themselves). As most of these (perhaps 80%) were men, this would lead to further demand for young Haitian women.
Still, the conquest of Haiti was popular among the everyday Spaniard as it lent the impression that the nation was still a world power. The Queen was respected for this and perhaps received a bit of slack on her other, less popular decisions.
Her growing antipathy to France, which had attempted to conquer Morocco, a long-cherished Spanish ideal, would ensure that the Queen would want no part of a French alliance.
Badakhshan, Central Asia
For centuries, the control over the Badakhshan region of central Asia had been hotly contested between the Persians, Afghans and other parties.
In early1869, the Russia managed to wrestle control from a series of contenders and suddenly had an avenue into Afghanistan. And Afghanistan was the avenue into India.
By mid-1869, the British would be in a panic and began demanding that the Emir of Afghanistan sign a treaty of alliance (to which he would refuse).
By late-1869, the Viceroy would be ordered to establish a relationship, no matter what, even if this required dispatching envoys to Kabul regardless of the Emir's threats.
London
"Samoa?" Disraeli's eyes raised.
The First Lord prided himself on having an encyclopedic memory regarding geography but the name escaped him.
"It is one of the flyspeck islands of the Pacific, I believe, somewhere between Hawaii and Australia", his secretary estimated.
Rumors had already abounded that an American squadron had politely turned about a French flotilla bound for Tahiti to enforce their will over what passed for a local chief....or King.....or God-Emperor.....or what have you. Now, they were after this......this......Samoa?
In truth, Disraeli was not terribly surprised nor overly worried that the Americans were inclined to assume some petty islands in the middle of the Pacific. Despite the recent war between the two nations (and Disraeli had roundly put THAT at the feet of Palmerston), Disraeli doubted that the United States and Great Britain had any particular inclination to assault British possessions. He wasn't losing any sleep that America was planning to invade India....or Ireland.....or even the West Indies.
If anything, many Americans wanted to ship THEIR Africans to the West Indies, not assume control over others. Americans seemed content with trade and the rest of the world benefited from her massive merchant marine, even Britain.
"Very well, I will inquire with the American Ambassador the next time I see him."
In the meantime and much more importantly, Gladstone was transparently attempting to introduce controversial legislation in Parliament in hopes of splitting the Tories. Disraeli had done this to great effect over the years and now apparently the opposition was trying to return the favor. But the First Lord was more than ready for him. The government had survived a less than wholly successful war. He was quite sure it would survive the peace.
Spain
Queen Isabella rarely concerned herself with figures but the constant whining of her Ministers caused her to confront the facts that the Hispaniolan War was getting expensive. With most of the land being apportioned to the victorious conquerors and probably years away from regaining any sense of cultivation, there seemed to be no real prospect for a financial return for all the expenditure.
Even approving turning "captive" Haitians into "servants" would not return the coffee and sugar plantations to profitability for years. Apparently, there were so many dead that the labor force was non-existent. No real census had been taken since before Haiti overthrew France's domination during the Revolution but the estimates of a pre-Spanish invasion of 600-800,000 souls could be reduced to closer to 280,000 (a 33% to 60% reduction). Historians would later debate this endlessly but it would be generally accepted that at least a 50% reduction had occurred with a heavy emphasis on male dead.
The Catholic Church had been quite helpful in regaining control over the former Haiti. Their priests had been evicted from the nation after the Revolution and the people fallen into living in sin. The priests would take personal charge of the young woman (who they feared would be turned over to brothels) and instead organized a series of mass marriages between the soldiers and their typically unwilling wives.
Desiring to avoid a fully black or mulatto nation, the Queen's government offered further incentives for first Spaniards, then ANY Catholic, to settle on Hispaniola. The orphanages of Spain, Cuba and Puerto Rico were emptied and the healthy children were shipped abroad (and off the government dole). The Church typically opposed this sort of thing as many orphan girls ended up serving as nuns but the Queen's support for the Church in Hispaniola was enough to get them to accept the situation.
In all, over 40,000 Spanish, Cuban and Puerto Rican Orphans (and very young criminal offenders) were transported to Hispaniola from 1865 to 1875.
Beyond this, nearly 106,000 Spanish and 70,000 other Catholic Europeans would migrate from the start of the invasion in the early 1860's to 1875 (excluding the soldiers themselves). As most of these (perhaps 80%) were men, this would lead to further demand for young Haitian women.
Still, the conquest of Haiti was popular among the everyday Spaniard as it lent the impression that the nation was still a world power. The Queen was respected for this and perhaps received a bit of slack on her other, less popular decisions.
Her growing antipathy to France, which had attempted to conquer Morocco, a long-cherished Spanish ideal, would ensure that the Queen would want no part of a French alliance.
Last edited:
July, 1869
Western Hungary
Finally managing to summon an army, the Austrians marched across the border into the Kingdom of Hungary to put down the uppity Hungarians. It had irritated many in Vienna from Emperor Franz Joseph I down that the Hungarians had turned down the opportunity of reaching equality with Austria in a Dual-Monarchy.
What more could be offered?
Evidently, the answer was a lot. Having been turned down by even his own German allies for aid (Bavaria, for instance, did not want to weaken her northern borders with Prussia), the Emperor ordered the Austrians forward. A second offensive was intended to be launched from Bohemia in the north.
Nothing went to plan.
The Austrian assault on Hungary was ambushed near the border as hundreds of thousands of Hungarian patriots, having seized the arsenals, bled the Austrians dry for every foot of ground in the forests and mountains of Western Hungary.
To make matters worse, the Bohemians, who had suffered badly during the "German War" of a few years prior, would promptly mutiny and refuse to advance into Hungary at all.
Seeking to pile on, the King of Italy, who remained on very poor terms with Austria, would open support the Hungarian and later Bohemian revolts and move a large army to the Austrian border, forcing the Emperor to dispatch badly needed troops to the south.
Finally, in a final death blow, the Czar would announce his support for the Hungarian rebels and offered to "mediate" a separate crowned head for these peoples.
The Emperor would cry out for help to all corners of Europe including his enemies Prussia and France. While this elicited a great deal of laughter in Berlin and Paris, it did not result in any result beyond a demand from the Emperor of France and King of Prussia that Russia not assume ANY new territory out of this situation (which the Czar had no intention of doing).
In the end, no one would or could lift a finger to forestall the Czar from dismembering a second powerful ancient rival in less than 10 years.
His heart broken, Franz Joseph would beg his Austrian ministers to find a way to turn the tide. However, all returned the same answer:
Make the best deal the Emperor could.
By August, even Vienna was enduring riots and the Emperor himself forced to flee to his country home.
By the end of Summer, the Emperor would announce that he would cede two of his various crowns, Hungary and Bohemia, to his brothers, Maximillian and Karl Ludwig.
The Czar found this acceptable and agreed to "ensure the safety" of the new Kings, a thinly veiled warning to any who would dispute the decision.
The Hague, Kingdom of the Netherlands
King William III occasionally had problems with his sons. This was not surprising as the King was considered by many to be insane, at least on occasion. Physically large and vigorous, in his rages, he could be terrifying.
However, the King was still popular with the common Dutch people despite his open debauchery, capriciousness, mercuriality and obviously autocratic preferences. He'd been forced to accept the Constitution of 1848, approved by his father, though he often spoke of abdicating in favor of his son.
Over the years, he'd engaged in a series of disputes with Britain. Queen Victoria called him an "uneducated farmer". The King would also be offended when Princess Alice of Britain would utterly reject his eldest son's courtship (in truth, the Prince of Orange was not interested in HER as well).
Witnessing great nations battle about him as if the feelings of the Dutch mattered little (it didn't) and the vast new metal navies swatting another across the waves filled William III with dread (despite none of the local powers having any interest in conquering the Netherlands).
In 1867, Napoleon III of France would offer 5,000,000 guilders for the Duchy of Luxembourg. Decades ago, William III had written a reactionary constitution for the Duchy so he may rule that autocratically as he wished he could in the Netherlands. As the King/Duke was in dismal financial condition, William agreed to sell, much to the horror of the Luxembourgers themselves and the Northwest German Confederation to which Luxembourg belonged.
Napoleon III would briefly consider the gains of annexing Luxembourg, which had one of the finest defensive fortifications in Europe and would be key to defending France's northeastern border, versus alienating the Northwest German Confederation led by Hanover.
In the end, he deemed a tangible possession better than "goodwill" of his neighbors. The sale was announced and Luxembourg handed over in 1869 despite riots throughout the Duchy. Napoleon III had agreed to keep the Duchy "autonomous"....for now. He would wait until the continent's attention was focused elsewhere and quietly annex Luxembourg directly to France.
The cost of this was high. Within months, the Northwestern Confederation would formally dissolve most of her forms of alliance with France and, led by the King of Hanover, engage with the King of Prussia and Emperor of Austria to renew the previous "German Confederation" customs Union and series of alliances.
With Prussia suitably chastised and Austria humbled, there seemed no possibility than any of the three major powers in Germany (Austria, Prussia and Hanover) were likely to assume the same authority which Austria and Prussia once held during their own rivalry for domination of Germany. Religion would no longer be a dividing line. Secondary powers like Hesse, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg, Bavaria, Saxony, Baden, Wurttanberg, Oldenburg, etc would instead ally together to ensure their own autonomy and political rights. In time, these smaller nations would learn to skillfully play the game and keep the balance of power between the three larger German states.
Having outraged his own subjects (Luxembourgish and Dutch) and earned the scorn of the monarchs of Europe for selling his people like chattel, the King would delve even deeper into madness. His eldest (legitimate) son would soon depart for Paris where he would drink himself to death in a few years. His second son died in childhood, leaving only this third son to carry on the line.
All of this was reported in America courtesy of New York Times reporter Henry Stanley, who echoed previous Times' articles referring to the 6 foot 5 inch giant of a monarch the "greatest debauchee of the age", a reasonable accusation given his literal dozens of illegitimate children.
Reading this in Washington, President Seward would quietly have the Ambassador to the Hague inquire again if the Dutch West Indies were up for sale. Unfortunately, these possessions were the property of the Netherlands, not the King (who had ruled the Duchy of Luxembourg in Personal Union with the Netherlands and technically do what he pleased with it). But the Dutch Government was also in financial trouble and probably could use a boost in capital by selling off possessions that had never paid their own way.
It was worth a try. Besides, Seward was working on a larger game for which he needed collateral possessions. The British had rejected Seward's proposal to trade the Virgin Islands for the Bahamas. Perhaps he simply needed to sweeten the deal with the Dutch West Indies as well?
Seward also regretted not taking swifter steps to assume paramountcy in Hawaii. Now the British were well entrenched there. Perhaps, a deal may be arranged in which America could trade some of these other claims (via "trading treaties") in Samoa, Tahiti, Vanuatu and the Marianas for Britain's "agreement" with the King of Hawaii.
Would this not benefit BOTH nations?
America would have the islands nearest their shores on the Pacific (Hawaii) and Caribbean (Bahamas) borders and Britain would gain more security in their own collections of archipeligos?
He could only ask.
Western Hungary
Finally managing to summon an army, the Austrians marched across the border into the Kingdom of Hungary to put down the uppity Hungarians. It had irritated many in Vienna from Emperor Franz Joseph I down that the Hungarians had turned down the opportunity of reaching equality with Austria in a Dual-Monarchy.
What more could be offered?
Evidently, the answer was a lot. Having been turned down by even his own German allies for aid (Bavaria, for instance, did not want to weaken her northern borders with Prussia), the Emperor ordered the Austrians forward. A second offensive was intended to be launched from Bohemia in the north.
Nothing went to plan.
The Austrian assault on Hungary was ambushed near the border as hundreds of thousands of Hungarian patriots, having seized the arsenals, bled the Austrians dry for every foot of ground in the forests and mountains of Western Hungary.
To make matters worse, the Bohemians, who had suffered badly during the "German War" of a few years prior, would promptly mutiny and refuse to advance into Hungary at all.
Seeking to pile on, the King of Italy, who remained on very poor terms with Austria, would open support the Hungarian and later Bohemian revolts and move a large army to the Austrian border, forcing the Emperor to dispatch badly needed troops to the south.
Finally, in a final death blow, the Czar would announce his support for the Hungarian rebels and offered to "mediate" a separate crowned head for these peoples.
The Emperor would cry out for help to all corners of Europe including his enemies Prussia and France. While this elicited a great deal of laughter in Berlin and Paris, it did not result in any result beyond a demand from the Emperor of France and King of Prussia that Russia not assume ANY new territory out of this situation (which the Czar had no intention of doing).
In the end, no one would or could lift a finger to forestall the Czar from dismembering a second powerful ancient rival in less than 10 years.
His heart broken, Franz Joseph would beg his Austrian ministers to find a way to turn the tide. However, all returned the same answer:
Make the best deal the Emperor could.
By August, even Vienna was enduring riots and the Emperor himself forced to flee to his country home.
By the end of Summer, the Emperor would announce that he would cede two of his various crowns, Hungary and Bohemia, to his brothers, Maximillian and Karl Ludwig.
The Czar found this acceptable and agreed to "ensure the safety" of the new Kings, a thinly veiled warning to any who would dispute the decision.
The Hague, Kingdom of the Netherlands
King William III occasionally had problems with his sons. This was not surprising as the King was considered by many to be insane, at least on occasion. Physically large and vigorous, in his rages, he could be terrifying.
However, the King was still popular with the common Dutch people despite his open debauchery, capriciousness, mercuriality and obviously autocratic preferences. He'd been forced to accept the Constitution of 1848, approved by his father, though he often spoke of abdicating in favor of his son.
Over the years, he'd engaged in a series of disputes with Britain. Queen Victoria called him an "uneducated farmer". The King would also be offended when Princess Alice of Britain would utterly reject his eldest son's courtship (in truth, the Prince of Orange was not interested in HER as well).
Witnessing great nations battle about him as if the feelings of the Dutch mattered little (it didn't) and the vast new metal navies swatting another across the waves filled William III with dread (despite none of the local powers having any interest in conquering the Netherlands).
In 1867, Napoleon III of France would offer 5,000,000 guilders for the Duchy of Luxembourg. Decades ago, William III had written a reactionary constitution for the Duchy so he may rule that autocratically as he wished he could in the Netherlands. As the King/Duke was in dismal financial condition, William agreed to sell, much to the horror of the Luxembourgers themselves and the Northwest German Confederation to which Luxembourg belonged.
Napoleon III would briefly consider the gains of annexing Luxembourg, which had one of the finest defensive fortifications in Europe and would be key to defending France's northeastern border, versus alienating the Northwest German Confederation led by Hanover.
In the end, he deemed a tangible possession better than "goodwill" of his neighbors. The sale was announced and Luxembourg handed over in 1869 despite riots throughout the Duchy. Napoleon III had agreed to keep the Duchy "autonomous"....for now. He would wait until the continent's attention was focused elsewhere and quietly annex Luxembourg directly to France.
The cost of this was high. Within months, the Northwestern Confederation would formally dissolve most of her forms of alliance with France and, led by the King of Hanover, engage with the King of Prussia and Emperor of Austria to renew the previous "German Confederation" customs Union and series of alliances.
With Prussia suitably chastised and Austria humbled, there seemed no possibility than any of the three major powers in Germany (Austria, Prussia and Hanover) were likely to assume the same authority which Austria and Prussia once held during their own rivalry for domination of Germany. Religion would no longer be a dividing line. Secondary powers like Hesse, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg, Bavaria, Saxony, Baden, Wurttanberg, Oldenburg, etc would instead ally together to ensure their own autonomy and political rights. In time, these smaller nations would learn to skillfully play the game and keep the balance of power between the three larger German states.
Having outraged his own subjects (Luxembourgish and Dutch) and earned the scorn of the monarchs of Europe for selling his people like chattel, the King would delve even deeper into madness. His eldest (legitimate) son would soon depart for Paris where he would drink himself to death in a few years. His second son died in childhood, leaving only this third son to carry on the line.
All of this was reported in America courtesy of New York Times reporter Henry Stanley, who echoed previous Times' articles referring to the 6 foot 5 inch giant of a monarch the "greatest debauchee of the age", a reasonable accusation given his literal dozens of illegitimate children.
Reading this in Washington, President Seward would quietly have the Ambassador to the Hague inquire again if the Dutch West Indies were up for sale. Unfortunately, these possessions were the property of the Netherlands, not the King (who had ruled the Duchy of Luxembourg in Personal Union with the Netherlands and technically do what he pleased with it). But the Dutch Government was also in financial trouble and probably could use a boost in capital by selling off possessions that had never paid their own way.
It was worth a try. Besides, Seward was working on a larger game for which he needed collateral possessions. The British had rejected Seward's proposal to trade the Virgin Islands for the Bahamas. Perhaps he simply needed to sweeten the deal with the Dutch West Indies as well?
Seward also regretted not taking swifter steps to assume paramountcy in Hawaii. Now the British were well entrenched there. Perhaps, a deal may be arranged in which America could trade some of these other claims (via "trading treaties") in Samoa, Tahiti, Vanuatu and the Marianas for Britain's "agreement" with the King of Hawaii.
Would this not benefit BOTH nations?
America would have the islands nearest their shores on the Pacific (Hawaii) and Caribbean (Bahamas) borders and Britain would gain more security in their own collections of archipeligos?
He could only ask.
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October, 1869
Vienna
Despite attempts over the fall and winter of 1869 to garner support to maintain his Empire, there was nothing the Emperor could do to preserve it. The Hungarians and Bohemians, supported by the mere THREAT of Russian intervention, would form their own Parliaments and commence writing their Constitutions.
By New Years, their new "Kings" would be "invited" to their coronation, the obvious implication was if they failed to show, their Crowns were forfeit.
Maximilian would be offered the Crown of Hungary. He was considered much more willing to compromise than his reactionary brother. However, he and his Belgian wife Carlota were childless.
Karl Ludwig, the next brother, was to gain the Bohemian Crown. After years of attempting to gain some level of authority governing minor realms of his brother's Kingdoms and Duchies, Karl Ludwig had given up and retired from government. Bohemia would be his second chance.
For his part, Franz Joseph was never to set foot in these new countries again. He turned his thoughts to Germany, feeling almost physically ill whenever his mind drifted to Hungary and his other lost Kingdoms.
Of course, Hungary and Bohemia would soon be facing their own internal troubles as Moravia, Transylvania and other regions began to agitate for their own independence.
November, 1869
Washington
With more than a few misgivings, President Seward would allow several former Confederate states including Virginia, North Carolina, Mississippi and Arkansas to vote to reform their legislatures....with the obvious provision that the Freedmen were allowed to vote without any hindrances.
Lincoln's wise decision to include Federal control over the voter registration system had ensured that few citizens had trouble registering to vote. Seward had taken the next step and simply largely hired from the relatively limited number of literate Freedmen to staff that department.
There were relatively few incidents of registration fraud after that. Unfortunately, one particularly foolish black employee (originally from Massachusetts) had jokingly demanded that a former Confederate Major pass a literacy exam before being allowed to vote. The man pulled out a gun and shot the fellow dead at his desk. While the murderer was arrested by the Union cavalry, he bureaucrat's replacement was of a less jocular sort.
Unfortunately, almost immediately, there were cases of intimidation and assault upon thousands of black voters. Seward was forced to annul the results of both North Carolina and Arkansas' votes. Naturally, the Democrats would throw a fit.
The President was surprised that the "Deep South" state of Mississippi had few problems. Part of the issue may be the extremely high black presence in western Mississippi near the Mississippi River (where most of the great plantations had been) which put the Freedmen solidly in the majority. In Mississippi, the "Raiders" had been particularly harshly suppressed as still-powerful units of Union troops and well-organized Freedmen groups cooperated to hunt them down.
Sedate Virginia, with the capital's eye firmly placed upon it from nearby, would also have relatively few incidents of intimidation.
Both Mississippi and Virginia would have their Legislatures approved by the President and the formal process of being returned in good standing to the Union in the 1870 election.
South Carolina, Georgia, Florida (the remaining northern portion), Alabama (the southern portion) and Louisiana were not even close to being readmitted as none had yet to show any sign of being truly ready to accept the 15th Amendment in all its complexities.
Afghanistan
As he'd already promised, the Emir of Afghanistan would refuse entry of the British diplomatic delegation to his country.
The Viceroy of India would take this as justification for war and prepare a 50,000 man army to invade.
What he didn't realize was that the Emir had already.....hesitantly.....contacted the Russians for aid. 26,000 Russian troops were already entering the country to solidify the southern border.
Vienna
Despite attempts over the fall and winter of 1869 to garner support to maintain his Empire, there was nothing the Emperor could do to preserve it. The Hungarians and Bohemians, supported by the mere THREAT of Russian intervention, would form their own Parliaments and commence writing their Constitutions.
By New Years, their new "Kings" would be "invited" to their coronation, the obvious implication was if they failed to show, their Crowns were forfeit.
Maximilian would be offered the Crown of Hungary. He was considered much more willing to compromise than his reactionary brother. However, he and his Belgian wife Carlota were childless.
Karl Ludwig, the next brother, was to gain the Bohemian Crown. After years of attempting to gain some level of authority governing minor realms of his brother's Kingdoms and Duchies, Karl Ludwig had given up and retired from government. Bohemia would be his second chance.
For his part, Franz Joseph was never to set foot in these new countries again. He turned his thoughts to Germany, feeling almost physically ill whenever his mind drifted to Hungary and his other lost Kingdoms.
Of course, Hungary and Bohemia would soon be facing their own internal troubles as Moravia, Transylvania and other regions began to agitate for their own independence.
November, 1869
Washington
With more than a few misgivings, President Seward would allow several former Confederate states including Virginia, North Carolina, Mississippi and Arkansas to vote to reform their legislatures....with the obvious provision that the Freedmen were allowed to vote without any hindrances.
Lincoln's wise decision to include Federal control over the voter registration system had ensured that few citizens had trouble registering to vote. Seward had taken the next step and simply largely hired from the relatively limited number of literate Freedmen to staff that department.
There were relatively few incidents of registration fraud after that. Unfortunately, one particularly foolish black employee (originally from Massachusetts) had jokingly demanded that a former Confederate Major pass a literacy exam before being allowed to vote. The man pulled out a gun and shot the fellow dead at his desk. While the murderer was arrested by the Union cavalry, he bureaucrat's replacement was of a less jocular sort.
Unfortunately, almost immediately, there were cases of intimidation and assault upon thousands of black voters. Seward was forced to annul the results of both North Carolina and Arkansas' votes. Naturally, the Democrats would throw a fit.
The President was surprised that the "Deep South" state of Mississippi had few problems. Part of the issue may be the extremely high black presence in western Mississippi near the Mississippi River (where most of the great plantations had been) which put the Freedmen solidly in the majority. In Mississippi, the "Raiders" had been particularly harshly suppressed as still-powerful units of Union troops and well-organized Freedmen groups cooperated to hunt them down.
Sedate Virginia, with the capital's eye firmly placed upon it from nearby, would also have relatively few incidents of intimidation.
Both Mississippi and Virginia would have their Legislatures approved by the President and the formal process of being returned in good standing to the Union in the 1870 election.
South Carolina, Georgia, Florida (the remaining northern portion), Alabama (the southern portion) and Louisiana were not even close to being readmitted as none had yet to show any sign of being truly ready to accept the 15th Amendment in all its complexities.
Afghanistan
As he'd already promised, the Emir of Afghanistan would refuse entry of the British diplomatic delegation to his country.
The Viceroy of India would take this as justification for war and prepare a 50,000 man army to invade.
What he didn't realize was that the Emir had already.....hesitantly.....contacted the Russians for aid. 26,000 Russian troops were already entering the country to solidify the southern border.
December, 1869
Southern Afghanistan
General Hugh Rose, commander-in-chief of the forces in British India, would gaze across the Khyber Pass and see Russian forces entrenched deeply in the cliffs. Rose had served the Crimea and seen the carnage resultant in marching head-first into such fortified defenses. He'd also interviewed many officers and common soldiers who'd done the same in Siam and Canada against the new repeating rifles. Russia had reportedly switched over all the rifles of this field force to French Chassepots (this was not entirely accurate as some of the old models remained in use).
A forward assault upon the defenses was simply not feasible.
Despite his orders to invade, Rose refused to lead his men into a slaughter against Russian forces, especially as he DID NOT have orders to start a war with Russia. He stood his forces down and referred the matter to Earl Mayo, the new Viceroy of India. Mayo seemed reasonable enough.
However, the international situation had rapidly deteriorated in the past few months.
The Suez Canal had briefly opened in the summer...until an engineering problem closed it for several months. In November, the Canal was repaired and open again for business.
Immediately, the international tensions rose when a joint French and Russia fleet sailed through the Canal bound for Asia. Having not been informed of the sailing, the British establishment panicked. They had just learned that Russian troops had entered Afghanistan and were at the gates of India itself (though only because the Emir feared British invasion of Afghanistan).
What the British did NOT know was that the combined fleet was actually bound for eastern Asia to reinforce the French Vietnamese and Chinese ports and the Russian forces to the Russian concession in China and to Vladivostok (just founded in 1860), the new base of the Russian Pacific fleet.
In March, 1870, Lord Mayo and General Rose would be given ambiguous orders to "secure" Afghanistan. Again, there was no official order to initiate an act of war upon Russia. Lord Mayo and General Rose replied that these orders must be made much more specific.
In the meantime, another Russian and French squadron passed through the Suez with transports and supply vessels. Again, this was actually intended to reinforce their Pacific possession and to further pressure the Joseon Kingdom.
January, 1870
Washington
The Legislature of Mississippi would elect two Freedmen as Senators (both Republican) while Virginia would select two Democrats.
This was hardly a surprise and did little to affect the balance of power in the Senate. Three quarters of the Virginia and Mississippi Congressmen, though, would be Democrats.
Still, the Republicans maintained a large majority in both Houses of Congress and Seward was not particularly concerned about passing his legislation.
February
The Rio Plata
By 1870, the alliance between Brazil, Argentina (minus Buenos Aires) and Uruguay had already collapsed despite French attempts to maintain it as a hegemon against Buenos Aires and Great Britain.
The best the French "mediators" could do was keep Argentina and Brazil from war over the scraps of Paraguay. Paraguay and Uruguay would drift into alliance with Brazil while Argentina remained aloof from further alliances.
March
Mexico City
President Juarez would be surprised to find his friend Ignacio Zaragoza inquiring for an appointment with him. Juarez immediately had the retired soldier shown in and warmly received the nation's most respected warrior. Zaragoza had kept a low profile in recent years, only voicing opposition to the occasional call for rebellion by holdout Imperials.
Juarez owed Zaragoza much and the soldier deserved an audience. The conversation would not go well.
Zaragoza had heard of Juarez' intention to run for another four year term despite the Constitution of 1857 forbidding this. The President's interrupted term by French invasion was deemed an acceptable reason to allow him to serve again from 1867 to 1870.
However, Juarez' intent to serve another term was seen even among his allies as a step towards his own form of dictatorship (Juarez had been granted extraordinary powers by Congress for years due to crisis and never really returned them).
"Perhaps, Mr. President," Zaragoza began, "respecting the Constitution by stepping aside voluntarily will be the finest example you can set for the nation now."
"But there is so much more to accomplish....." Juarez replied in anger. "And the damned Imperials and Conservatives....the army and the Church...."
"Will always be a problem, Mr. President," the General returned gently. "The nation is not.....it CANNOT....be the responsibility of one man. Do assume so would make you no less a dictator than the French Emperor or that idiot Santa Anna?"
Juarez saw the wisdom, even if he didn't like it. "Are you planning on running, General?"
Zaragoza laughed out loud, "Good lord, NO! I shall be happy to leave the cares of dealing with Congress to others with a more patient temperament. May I point out that you have had many loyal subordinates of the years every bit as dedicated to you?"
"What is more important, Mr. President? A few more years of office....or truly setting the stage for our country to transition into an actual democracy?"
Juarez could not look at Zaragoza and pretend that the nation would collapse without his own leadership. And the President HAD been hearing many rumblings of discontent even among his allies at his refusal to return wartime powers and his intent to violate the Constitution he'd sworn to uphold.
"Perhaps....." The president offered weakly, "our Supreme Court Justice, Sebastian Lerdo, may be ready to lead the party into the fall elections."
"I have no doubt, Mr. President, that he is."
Southern Afghanistan
General Hugh Rose, commander-in-chief of the forces in British India, would gaze across the Khyber Pass and see Russian forces entrenched deeply in the cliffs. Rose had served the Crimea and seen the carnage resultant in marching head-first into such fortified defenses. He'd also interviewed many officers and common soldiers who'd done the same in Siam and Canada against the new repeating rifles. Russia had reportedly switched over all the rifles of this field force to French Chassepots (this was not entirely accurate as some of the old models remained in use).
A forward assault upon the defenses was simply not feasible.
Despite his orders to invade, Rose refused to lead his men into a slaughter against Russian forces, especially as he DID NOT have orders to start a war with Russia. He stood his forces down and referred the matter to Earl Mayo, the new Viceroy of India. Mayo seemed reasonable enough.
However, the international situation had rapidly deteriorated in the past few months.
The Suez Canal had briefly opened in the summer...until an engineering problem closed it for several months. In November, the Canal was repaired and open again for business.
Immediately, the international tensions rose when a joint French and Russia fleet sailed through the Canal bound for Asia. Having not been informed of the sailing, the British establishment panicked. They had just learned that Russian troops had entered Afghanistan and were at the gates of India itself (though only because the Emir feared British invasion of Afghanistan).
What the British did NOT know was that the combined fleet was actually bound for eastern Asia to reinforce the French Vietnamese and Chinese ports and the Russian forces to the Russian concession in China and to Vladivostok (just founded in 1860), the new base of the Russian Pacific fleet.
In March, 1870, Lord Mayo and General Rose would be given ambiguous orders to "secure" Afghanistan. Again, there was no official order to initiate an act of war upon Russia. Lord Mayo and General Rose replied that these orders must be made much more specific.
In the meantime, another Russian and French squadron passed through the Suez with transports and supply vessels. Again, this was actually intended to reinforce their Pacific possession and to further pressure the Joseon Kingdom.
January, 1870
Washington
The Legislature of Mississippi would elect two Freedmen as Senators (both Republican) while Virginia would select two Democrats.
This was hardly a surprise and did little to affect the balance of power in the Senate. Three quarters of the Virginia and Mississippi Congressmen, though, would be Democrats.
Still, the Republicans maintained a large majority in both Houses of Congress and Seward was not particularly concerned about passing his legislation.
February
The Rio Plata
By 1870, the alliance between Brazil, Argentina (minus Buenos Aires) and Uruguay had already collapsed despite French attempts to maintain it as a hegemon against Buenos Aires and Great Britain.
The best the French "mediators" could do was keep Argentina and Brazil from war over the scraps of Paraguay. Paraguay and Uruguay would drift into alliance with Brazil while Argentina remained aloof from further alliances.
March
Mexico City
President Juarez would be surprised to find his friend Ignacio Zaragoza inquiring for an appointment with him. Juarez immediately had the retired soldier shown in and warmly received the nation's most respected warrior. Zaragoza had kept a low profile in recent years, only voicing opposition to the occasional call for rebellion by holdout Imperials.
Juarez owed Zaragoza much and the soldier deserved an audience. The conversation would not go well.
Zaragoza had heard of Juarez' intention to run for another four year term despite the Constitution of 1857 forbidding this. The President's interrupted term by French invasion was deemed an acceptable reason to allow him to serve again from 1867 to 1870.
However, Juarez' intent to serve another term was seen even among his allies as a step towards his own form of dictatorship (Juarez had been granted extraordinary powers by Congress for years due to crisis and never really returned them).
"Perhaps, Mr. President," Zaragoza began, "respecting the Constitution by stepping aside voluntarily will be the finest example you can set for the nation now."
"But there is so much more to accomplish....." Juarez replied in anger. "And the damned Imperials and Conservatives....the army and the Church...."
"Will always be a problem, Mr. President," the General returned gently. "The nation is not.....it CANNOT....be the responsibility of one man. Do assume so would make you no less a dictator than the French Emperor or that idiot Santa Anna?"
Juarez saw the wisdom, even if he didn't like it. "Are you planning on running, General?"
Zaragoza laughed out loud, "Good lord, NO! I shall be happy to leave the cares of dealing with Congress to others with a more patient temperament. May I point out that you have had many loyal subordinates of the years every bit as dedicated to you?"
"What is more important, Mr. President? A few more years of office....or truly setting the stage for our country to transition into an actual democracy?"
Juarez could not look at Zaragoza and pretend that the nation would collapse without his own leadership. And the President HAD been hearing many rumblings of discontent even among his allies at his refusal to return wartime powers and his intent to violate the Constitution he'd sworn to uphold.
"Perhaps....." The president offered weakly, "our Supreme Court Justice, Sebastian Lerdo, may be ready to lead the party into the fall elections."
"I have no doubt, Mr. President, that he is."
March, 1870
Southern Afghanistan, Kurran Valley, Peiwar Kotal pass (north of the Kyber Pass)
While awaiting instructions from their government, the British forces outsite the Kyber Pass had been ordered to investigate of alternate routes had been equally heavily fortified. Among these were the Peiwar Kotal pass in the Kurran Valley.
A 300 man party marched in silence through the wooden hills and mountains during a particularly cold, moonless night, seeking if an army may manage to slip through with minimal resistance. In the dead of night, they received their answer as a Russian battalion opened fired at the British-Indian force. For two hours, the lonely Russian outpost and the British scouts exchanged fire until both began to run low on ammunition.
The British retreated, taking as many of their dead and wounded as possible. However, the British officer failed to heed the sounds of cavalry approaching from behind as nearly two thousands Afghan horsemen swept into their ranks and dawn. The British and Indian forces broke and fled through the valley, harassed all the way. By the following evening, over 200 of Her Majesty's troops lay sprawled across a path ten miles in length into British India.
By happenstance, a similar incident occurred along a trail south of the Kyber Pass as well. Here Russian artillery had been set up on a convenient ridge and, the Russian commander viewing the approaching British unit, did not hesitate to fire. What the officer did NOT know was that his unit had been emplaced upon British Indian soil. He had asked the local Afghan officer for the best defensive point in the local Afghan lands and was directed to this point. However, the Afghan still considered this particular spot to be Afghan land, having never accepted it being yielded to Britain.
What was a trifle to him would have grave consequences to the world when reports on the situation on the subcontinent spoke to the Russians invading and killing soldiers on TWO locations of British Indian soil.
Madrid
Though Isabella II regretted the decision as soon as she made it, she allowed her twelve year old son to school in France. In truth, the schools of Spain were dismal and he could get a far better education in France, Switzerland and Austria (he would eventually study in all three).
The Queen would be happy to know her son was out of the country a few weeks later when Generals Prim and Serrano formed a conspiracy to overthrow the Queen's erratic government. Fortunately for Her Majesty, a servant in Prim's service reveal the plans to a Loyalist officer who raided the meeting.
Prim and Serrano managed to escape but most of their allies were caught. With sufficient evidence on hand, the Queen didn't hesitate to see these men hanged.
Taking the hint, Prim and Serrano managed to flee across the border to France. Prim would later sail for America and Mexico. The General had championed the Union cause during the American War Between the States and sympathized with the Mexicans during Spain's short-lived part of the French Intervention.
Southern Afghanistan, Kurran Valley, Peiwar Kotal pass (north of the Kyber Pass)
While awaiting instructions from their government, the British forces outsite the Kyber Pass had been ordered to investigate of alternate routes had been equally heavily fortified. Among these were the Peiwar Kotal pass in the Kurran Valley.
A 300 man party marched in silence through the wooden hills and mountains during a particularly cold, moonless night, seeking if an army may manage to slip through with minimal resistance. In the dead of night, they received their answer as a Russian battalion opened fired at the British-Indian force. For two hours, the lonely Russian outpost and the British scouts exchanged fire until both began to run low on ammunition.
The British retreated, taking as many of their dead and wounded as possible. However, the British officer failed to heed the sounds of cavalry approaching from behind as nearly two thousands Afghan horsemen swept into their ranks and dawn. The British and Indian forces broke and fled through the valley, harassed all the way. By the following evening, over 200 of Her Majesty's troops lay sprawled across a path ten miles in length into British India.
By happenstance, a similar incident occurred along a trail south of the Kyber Pass as well. Here Russian artillery had been set up on a convenient ridge and, the Russian commander viewing the approaching British unit, did not hesitate to fire. What the officer did NOT know was that his unit had been emplaced upon British Indian soil. He had asked the local Afghan officer for the best defensive point in the local Afghan lands and was directed to this point. However, the Afghan still considered this particular spot to be Afghan land, having never accepted it being yielded to Britain.
What was a trifle to him would have grave consequences to the world when reports on the situation on the subcontinent spoke to the Russians invading and killing soldiers on TWO locations of British Indian soil.
Madrid
Though Isabella II regretted the decision as soon as she made it, she allowed her twelve year old son to school in France. In truth, the schools of Spain were dismal and he could get a far better education in France, Switzerland and Austria (he would eventually study in all three).
The Queen would be happy to know her son was out of the country a few weeks later when Generals Prim and Serrano formed a conspiracy to overthrow the Queen's erratic government. Fortunately for Her Majesty, a servant in Prim's service reveal the plans to a Loyalist officer who raided the meeting.
Prim and Serrano managed to escape but most of their allies were caught. With sufficient evidence on hand, the Queen didn't hesitate to see these men hanged.
Taking the hint, Prim and Serrano managed to flee across the border to France. Prim would later sail for America and Mexico. The General had championed the Union cause during the American War Between the States and sympathized with the Mexicans during Spain's short-lived part of the French Intervention.
May, 1870
Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary
King Maximilian of Hungary would be moderately well received when he took the throne after his brother's abdication of his non-German realms. The Hungarians just seemed happy to finally sever the link to Austria in which they were always a second class citizen.
Unfortunately, the third class citizens of Slovaks, Transylvanians, Slovenes and Croats were just as resentful of Hungarian overlordship as the Hungarians were of Austrian.
London
First Lord Benjamin Disraeli would receive the news that Russian (and Afghan) forces had assaulted (on Indian soil) British forces.
The last thing the First Lord wanted was another war with Russia. At least this time, there was a more tangible reason for war than "honor".
But Disraeli would still make an attempt at diplomacy.
What he did not realize was that the Egyptians, pressured by the Russians and French, would ban British ships from the Suez Canal. This was viewed as a conspiracy by the British and evidence of a further and deeper alliance against them than actually existed.
Between control over the Suez and the telegraph lines leading to Paris and Moscow, the communication lines were dominated by the enemy.
Between convoys dispatched along the Cape and.....secret dispatches....shipped through neutral parties passing through the canal.
Paris
Though the alliance had frayed over the past two years, the Emperor could not resist tweaking the British nose by helping the Russians close the Suez Canal. Without France agreement, that would never have happened....and no doubt the British knew it.
Napoleon III was quite certain his actions put knock Victoria's little island down a peg.
Hanover
The Northwest German Confederation was formally become the German Confederation as Prussia and Austria joined. The old Customs Union was extended between North and South, between East and West.
There remained a sense of bitter resentment against France for the purchase of Luxembourg, still only nominally a member of the German Confederation.
By 1870, the alliance between the "Northwest German Confederation" and France had largely collapsed.
Madras
Admiral Sir James Hope, knighted after his services in the American War, had been placed in command of the Indian Station. He could not comprehend that yet another war was on the verge of breaking out despite the dismal expense and outcome of the last.
Now, he was to prepare for war once again with Russia...and possible France. He knew that both Russian and French forces had been reinforced in the Pacific....but never believed that even combined they were a threat to India. For all their posturing, neither France nor Russia possessed the naval bases in the east to match the British.
However, there was a great deal of risk that France and/or Russia MAY acquire such bases....by seizing the Dutch East Indies and/or the Spanish Philippines. The fading European powers could not hope to withstand an attack by ANY of the Great Powers now sitting astride the Continent like a colossus.
Great Britain would....protect....these lands from conquest....even if they had to conquer them for the Queen herself.
Washington
Seward, oblivious of the implied threat to war, would concentrate on local issues.
For example, the proposal for a St. Laurence River fully navigable canal system from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic. He would have to entice the Canadians and Quebecois to assist in paying. Besides, the projected Seaway would also partially go through both neighboring nations and their active support would be necessary.
Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary
King Maximilian of Hungary would be moderately well received when he took the throne after his brother's abdication of his non-German realms. The Hungarians just seemed happy to finally sever the link to Austria in which they were always a second class citizen.
Unfortunately, the third class citizens of Slovaks, Transylvanians, Slovenes and Croats were just as resentful of Hungarian overlordship as the Hungarians were of Austrian.
London
First Lord Benjamin Disraeli would receive the news that Russian (and Afghan) forces had assaulted (on Indian soil) British forces.
The last thing the First Lord wanted was another war with Russia. At least this time, there was a more tangible reason for war than "honor".
But Disraeli would still make an attempt at diplomacy.
What he did not realize was that the Egyptians, pressured by the Russians and French, would ban British ships from the Suez Canal. This was viewed as a conspiracy by the British and evidence of a further and deeper alliance against them than actually existed.
Between control over the Suez and the telegraph lines leading to Paris and Moscow, the communication lines were dominated by the enemy.
Between convoys dispatched along the Cape and.....secret dispatches....shipped through neutral parties passing through the canal.
Paris
Though the alliance had frayed over the past two years, the Emperor could not resist tweaking the British nose by helping the Russians close the Suez Canal. Without France agreement, that would never have happened....and no doubt the British knew it.
Napoleon III was quite certain his actions put knock Victoria's little island down a peg.
Hanover
The Northwest German Confederation was formally become the German Confederation as Prussia and Austria joined. The old Customs Union was extended between North and South, between East and West.
There remained a sense of bitter resentment against France for the purchase of Luxembourg, still only nominally a member of the German Confederation.
By 1870, the alliance between the "Northwest German Confederation" and France had largely collapsed.
Madras
Admiral Sir James Hope, knighted after his services in the American War, had been placed in command of the Indian Station. He could not comprehend that yet another war was on the verge of breaking out despite the dismal expense and outcome of the last.
Now, he was to prepare for war once again with Russia...and possible France. He knew that both Russian and French forces had been reinforced in the Pacific....but never believed that even combined they were a threat to India. For all their posturing, neither France nor Russia possessed the naval bases in the east to match the British.
However, there was a great deal of risk that France and/or Russia MAY acquire such bases....by seizing the Dutch East Indies and/or the Spanish Philippines. The fading European powers could not hope to withstand an attack by ANY of the Great Powers now sitting astride the Continent like a colossus.
Great Britain would....protect....these lands from conquest....even if they had to conquer them for the Queen herself.
Washington
Seward, oblivious of the implied threat to war, would concentrate on local issues.
For example, the proposal for a St. Laurence River fully navigable canal system from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic. He would have to entice the Canadians and Quebecois to assist in paying. Besides, the projected Seaway would also partially go through both neighboring nations and their active support would be necessary.
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July, 1870
Washington
While working at his desk, Seward would suddenly feel short of breath to the point that he had to call in his Secretary to summon a doctor. A few hours later, the President felt better but the Doctor inquired if the President had been feeling off lately.
In truth, Seward had been working very hard and was unusually tired but deemed this due to the stress of the office and his own aging. The Doctor ordered the President to relax a bit more, Congress was out of session and all, and Seward promised he would.
Within a few minutes of the Doctor leaving, Seward got back to work.
The Suez Canal
Having become convinced that the Russians and French were plotting to invade India (they weren't), Disraeli's government ordered a blockade of the Suez Canal to all foreign shipping. In outrage, the Khedive also closed the Canal to the British as well.
Though this had the obvious effect of escalating tensions, the British were confident that they could get away with these actions as the rapid expansion of the British ironclad fleet had not been matched by the French or Russians. The French, in particular, practically publicly admitted their current ship designs were inferior and were in the early stages of designing new ones.
The ten years period in which Britain's mastery of the seas was challenged by the likes of France, Russia and America appeared to be over.
London
Gladstone had led the opposition for years against the arch-imperialist Disraeli. Though political foes with no personal affection, Gladstone at least admired Disraeli's acumen. However, it was apparent to the Liberal Party Leader that Gladstone was escalating a situation which could be relatively easily solved by diplomacy.
While this boded well for Gladstone's return to power, he was uncertain how much of a British Empire would be left for him to command.
Washington
Secretary of War Ulysses S. Grant would spend a hot afternoon reviewing the latest upgrades to the "Coffee Mill" Guns and the Gatling Guns. These latest versions were moderately lighter, more reliable and less prone to jamming. The range and accuracy of the weapons were also expanded.
Grant, having witnessed the value to the guns in the Confederacy, British North America and Mexico, was a supporter of continued use and demanded that the shortcomings of the weapons be addressed before he authorized a new order.
Most of the somewhat flimsy weapons had already been taken out of circulation and Grant wanted first-hand testing for a period of months by the actual soldiers who were to use them. The cavalry forces out west had been commanded to utilize them in maneuvers and see how they held up to the rigors of a campaign.
For the most part, the new versions were considered significant improvements on the previous generation and Grant approved the purchase of hundreds of each. Indeed, the rivalry between the two companies was driving innovation as each sought to become the army's preferred supplier.
Grant had used the same tactic in forcing competition for artillery. The old "Napoleon 53's" had done Yeoman's work in the past but was plainly outdated even by 1860. The Board of Ordnance had approved a competition for an updated series of rifled cannon to replace the old bronze muzzle-loaders.
Some spectacular weapons had been invented in the large "siege" gun category and that of the small "infantry support" category. However, the mid-sized model to replace the workhorse Napoleons proved problematic. A half dozen companies offered their wares....but each proved inferior to the Armstrong Cannon, to say absolutely nothing about the amazing Krupp Cannon.
So irritated was Grant, that he approved the purchase of 200 Krupps from Germany pending the American manufacturers capacity to design a competing model. Thus far, he'd been disappointed.
Grant had been equally disappointed that the Winchester, Spencer and Sharpe's rifles had not been improved upon. While each of these had its advantages over the latest "best infantry rifle" on earth (the Chassepot), they each had drawbacks as well.
Had it not been for the American innovations in repeating rifles, Gatling guns, Coffee Mill guns, Dahlgren and Parrot Naval Artillery and armored monitors, the Union's victory over the Confederacy, British and French may not have been possible.
To have a technological DISADVANTAGE to the Europeans would be utter suicide.
A new rifle and new mid-sized cannon competing with or superior to the Europeans MUST be found no matter what.
Grant had barely returned to his office when an aide rushed in with the tragic news: General Robert E. Lee had died.
A wave of grief poured through Grant. The man had given everything to his nation before, during and after the War Between the States. Grant knew that the Virginian had never wanted to fight the Confederacy but was happy to stand up against the British and French.
The nation had lost perhaps the finest soldier since the late Winfield Scott....or even George Washington.
Grant would recommend the President that Lee be laid in state at the Capital, a fitting tribute to the man's contributions to the country. Within a few months, a subscription was raised to build a monument to Lee in Washington. "Washington University", of which Lee had been Chancellor, would be renamed "Washington and Lee University" in his honor.
Grant doubted he'd be remembered as fondly.
Melbourne, Australia
For the past several years, the various colonies of Australia (including New Zealand) had been united into a formal country compromising all but Western Australia.
The rapidly expanding trans-Australian railroad would soon connect Perth to the rest of the Island and ensure a common purpose.
The rapid encroachment of Russian and French forces in the region would lead to the British government requesting that governance over New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and other small British possessions in the South Pacific be assumed by the Austrians.
In 1870, the government of Australia would be surprised to discover they were also requested and required to assume control over the far-flung Hawaiian islands.
In a relatively short period, the influx of British settlers and American Mormon "refugees" had reached nearly 40,000 souls. This would cause huge societal upheaval in Hawaii and the natives promptly rose up in revolt....only to be crushed by superior firepower.
The Hawaiian monarchy was dissolved and a British government put in place of it. The Mormons, who settled largely on the islands of Maui, Kauai and especially the "BIG" island of Hawaii, had largely been left alone for the first few years of their residence.
By 1870, though, the Mormons were attracting large numbers of native converts as well, much to the Anglican Missionaries chagrin. Polygamy was, of course, illegal in Britain but the Hawaiian King didn't seem to care much about that as having too many foreigners invading his country.
Now that Hawaii was a British possession, that meant that the government had to do something about this.
But the Australians would soon have more important things to worry about and did not want to rock the boat by coming down too hard on the Mormons who had helped them overthrow the King of Hawaii. Instead, the Polygamy matter simmered while Australia was being drawn into a new global conflict.
Washington
While working at his desk, Seward would suddenly feel short of breath to the point that he had to call in his Secretary to summon a doctor. A few hours later, the President felt better but the Doctor inquired if the President had been feeling off lately.
In truth, Seward had been working very hard and was unusually tired but deemed this due to the stress of the office and his own aging. The Doctor ordered the President to relax a bit more, Congress was out of session and all, and Seward promised he would.
Within a few minutes of the Doctor leaving, Seward got back to work.
The Suez Canal
Having become convinced that the Russians and French were plotting to invade India (they weren't), Disraeli's government ordered a blockade of the Suez Canal to all foreign shipping. In outrage, the Khedive also closed the Canal to the British as well.
Though this had the obvious effect of escalating tensions, the British were confident that they could get away with these actions as the rapid expansion of the British ironclad fleet had not been matched by the French or Russians. The French, in particular, practically publicly admitted their current ship designs were inferior and were in the early stages of designing new ones.
The ten years period in which Britain's mastery of the seas was challenged by the likes of France, Russia and America appeared to be over.
London
Gladstone had led the opposition for years against the arch-imperialist Disraeli. Though political foes with no personal affection, Gladstone at least admired Disraeli's acumen. However, it was apparent to the Liberal Party Leader that Gladstone was escalating a situation which could be relatively easily solved by diplomacy.
While this boded well for Gladstone's return to power, he was uncertain how much of a British Empire would be left for him to command.
Washington
Secretary of War Ulysses S. Grant would spend a hot afternoon reviewing the latest upgrades to the "Coffee Mill" Guns and the Gatling Guns. These latest versions were moderately lighter, more reliable and less prone to jamming. The range and accuracy of the weapons were also expanded.
Grant, having witnessed the value to the guns in the Confederacy, British North America and Mexico, was a supporter of continued use and demanded that the shortcomings of the weapons be addressed before he authorized a new order.
Most of the somewhat flimsy weapons had already been taken out of circulation and Grant wanted first-hand testing for a period of months by the actual soldiers who were to use them. The cavalry forces out west had been commanded to utilize them in maneuvers and see how they held up to the rigors of a campaign.
For the most part, the new versions were considered significant improvements on the previous generation and Grant approved the purchase of hundreds of each. Indeed, the rivalry between the two companies was driving innovation as each sought to become the army's preferred supplier.
Grant had used the same tactic in forcing competition for artillery. The old "Napoleon 53's" had done Yeoman's work in the past but was plainly outdated even by 1860. The Board of Ordnance had approved a competition for an updated series of rifled cannon to replace the old bronze muzzle-loaders.
Some spectacular weapons had been invented in the large "siege" gun category and that of the small "infantry support" category. However, the mid-sized model to replace the workhorse Napoleons proved problematic. A half dozen companies offered their wares....but each proved inferior to the Armstrong Cannon, to say absolutely nothing about the amazing Krupp Cannon.
So irritated was Grant, that he approved the purchase of 200 Krupps from Germany pending the American manufacturers capacity to design a competing model. Thus far, he'd been disappointed.
Grant had been equally disappointed that the Winchester, Spencer and Sharpe's rifles had not been improved upon. While each of these had its advantages over the latest "best infantry rifle" on earth (the Chassepot), they each had drawbacks as well.
Had it not been for the American innovations in repeating rifles, Gatling guns, Coffee Mill guns, Dahlgren and Parrot Naval Artillery and armored monitors, the Union's victory over the Confederacy, British and French may not have been possible.
To have a technological DISADVANTAGE to the Europeans would be utter suicide.
A new rifle and new mid-sized cannon competing with or superior to the Europeans MUST be found no matter what.
Grant had barely returned to his office when an aide rushed in with the tragic news: General Robert E. Lee had died.
A wave of grief poured through Grant. The man had given everything to his nation before, during and after the War Between the States. Grant knew that the Virginian had never wanted to fight the Confederacy but was happy to stand up against the British and French.
The nation had lost perhaps the finest soldier since the late Winfield Scott....or even George Washington.
Grant would recommend the President that Lee be laid in state at the Capital, a fitting tribute to the man's contributions to the country. Within a few months, a subscription was raised to build a monument to Lee in Washington. "Washington University", of which Lee had been Chancellor, would be renamed "Washington and Lee University" in his honor.
Grant doubted he'd be remembered as fondly.
Melbourne, Australia
For the past several years, the various colonies of Australia (including New Zealand) had been united into a formal country compromising all but Western Australia.
The rapidly expanding trans-Australian railroad would soon connect Perth to the rest of the Island and ensure a common purpose.
The rapid encroachment of Russian and French forces in the region would lead to the British government requesting that governance over New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and other small British possessions in the South Pacific be assumed by the Austrians.
In 1870, the government of Australia would be surprised to discover they were also requested and required to assume control over the far-flung Hawaiian islands.
In a relatively short period, the influx of British settlers and American Mormon "refugees" had reached nearly 40,000 souls. This would cause huge societal upheaval in Hawaii and the natives promptly rose up in revolt....only to be crushed by superior firepower.
The Hawaiian monarchy was dissolved and a British government put in place of it. The Mormons, who settled largely on the islands of Maui, Kauai and especially the "BIG" island of Hawaii, had largely been left alone for the first few years of their residence.
By 1870, though, the Mormons were attracting large numbers of native converts as well, much to the Anglican Missionaries chagrin. Polygamy was, of course, illegal in Britain but the Hawaiian King didn't seem to care much about that as having too many foreigners invading his country.
Now that Hawaii was a British possession, that meant that the government had to do something about this.
But the Australians would soon have more important things to worry about and did not want to rock the boat by coming down too hard on the Mormons who had helped them overthrow the King of Hawaii. Instead, the Polygamy matter simmered while Australia was being drawn into a new global conflict.
September, 1870
Washington
President Seward would receive a great deal of criticism for refusing to even allow the remaining Confederate states to form Legislatures to approve the 13th-15th Amendment, much less be returned to full citizenship in the Union. But he was adamant that the reports of constant harassment of Freedmen were too numerous and that there were too many southerners utterly unwilling to bend on that issue.
Thus, none of these states would be readmitted in time for the 1870 election. Indeed, only North Carolina and Arkansas even made an attempt to do so. The white populations of the other states flatly refused to move.
That was fine with Seward. None of them were going to vote for HIS Party.
In the meantime, the economic Reconstruction of the South was proceeding apace. By 1870, most of the old railroads had been repaired and new track laid where appropriate. Ports had been rebuilt. Schools for the Freedmen now numbered in the thousands.
Perhaps most contentious was the fact that Federal Employment required a loyalty oath. As most of the Confederates steadfastly refused to do so....that meant that the Freedmen were now taking well-paying Federal jobs as voter registration clerks, tax collectors, railroad men (there was an agreement between the railroads and the government that these employees ALSO must take a loyalty oath), teachers, postal workers, police, soldiers, etc.
Many in Congress, even die-hard Unionists and pro-Freedmen politicians, complained that this was only going to antagonize the white population. Seward steadfastly replied that, if the southern white population was unhappy with the situation, then they may take the Loyalty Oath (usually to a black Federal Employee) and be eligible for such employment.
Of course, few were willing to degrade themselves in this manner and most of the southern states had ceased to actively seek out readmission to the Union. The southern blacks, though desirous of voting rights, also realized that their rights would be REDUCED if the Southern Whites got their way and were happy with the status quo. The southern blacks also knew damned well that so many of their brethren were migrating out of the Deep South that they were becoming more of a minority (pre-war, enslaved and free blacks made up roughly 40% of the southern population. By 1870, this was down to 30% and dropping).
Paris
Emperor Napoleon III could note comprehend that the British were so eager for another war so soon after the first. Did the Queen's little minions actually believe that they could blockade the Suez Canal, situated on land by a French client and owned largely by the Emperor, just because the British and Russians were having some remote dustup in the middle of nowhere?
The Emperor, in his typical tone-deafness, would write to the Queen and demand an end to this nonsense.
Joseon Kingdom
For years, the French and Russian forces had occupied Gangwa Island, a chokepoint for the Joseon Kingdom. However, it was not called the "Hermit Kingdom" for nothing. For the most part, the natives were happy enough to have little to no communication to the world. They sent a token tribute to the Mandarin...and that was it.
If the foreign dogs wanted to sit on Gangwa Island for the rest of their lives....so be it.
In 1870, the French and Russians were joined by another power. An American vessel called the William Tecumseh Sherman arrived to "open diplomatic relations". By happenstance, a week later four Japanese ships arrived with the same intent. It had been less than two decades prior that Japan had been forcibly opened by the Americans in the same manner as was being attempted upon the Joseons.
The Joseons, though, simply.....ignored.....the aliens and went about their business. None of the foreign powers possessed the resources to sail up the river to the Capital....or the authorization to so directly conquer it.
Seeing a sudden plethora of competitors would lead each of the assorted foreigner powers to dispatch a request for aid from home to accomplish that very fact. In the meantime, the commanding officers on the scene would remain quite peacefully engaged and even discuss among themselves of the potential combining their strength should none of the national leaders approve the resources to seize the Joseon Kingdom.....errrr......."open the Joseon Kingdom to trade".
That the Joseon Kingdom HAD little in the way of resources TO trade was perhaps immaterial. Conquest was the order of the century and the Joseons were not to be an exception if these sailors and soldiers had their way.
Washington
President Seward would receive a great deal of criticism for refusing to even allow the remaining Confederate states to form Legislatures to approve the 13th-15th Amendment, much less be returned to full citizenship in the Union. But he was adamant that the reports of constant harassment of Freedmen were too numerous and that there were too many southerners utterly unwilling to bend on that issue.
Thus, none of these states would be readmitted in time for the 1870 election. Indeed, only North Carolina and Arkansas even made an attempt to do so. The white populations of the other states flatly refused to move.
That was fine with Seward. None of them were going to vote for HIS Party.
In the meantime, the economic Reconstruction of the South was proceeding apace. By 1870, most of the old railroads had been repaired and new track laid where appropriate. Ports had been rebuilt. Schools for the Freedmen now numbered in the thousands.
Perhaps most contentious was the fact that Federal Employment required a loyalty oath. As most of the Confederates steadfastly refused to do so....that meant that the Freedmen were now taking well-paying Federal jobs as voter registration clerks, tax collectors, railroad men (there was an agreement between the railroads and the government that these employees ALSO must take a loyalty oath), teachers, postal workers, police, soldiers, etc.
Many in Congress, even die-hard Unionists and pro-Freedmen politicians, complained that this was only going to antagonize the white population. Seward steadfastly replied that, if the southern white population was unhappy with the situation, then they may take the Loyalty Oath (usually to a black Federal Employee) and be eligible for such employment.
Of course, few were willing to degrade themselves in this manner and most of the southern states had ceased to actively seek out readmission to the Union. The southern blacks, though desirous of voting rights, also realized that their rights would be REDUCED if the Southern Whites got their way and were happy with the status quo. The southern blacks also knew damned well that so many of their brethren were migrating out of the Deep South that they were becoming more of a minority (pre-war, enslaved and free blacks made up roughly 40% of the southern population. By 1870, this was down to 30% and dropping).
Paris
Emperor Napoleon III could note comprehend that the British were so eager for another war so soon after the first. Did the Queen's little minions actually believe that they could blockade the Suez Canal, situated on land by a French client and owned largely by the Emperor, just because the British and Russians were having some remote dustup in the middle of nowhere?
The Emperor, in his typical tone-deafness, would write to the Queen and demand an end to this nonsense.
Joseon Kingdom
For years, the French and Russian forces had occupied Gangwa Island, a chokepoint for the Joseon Kingdom. However, it was not called the "Hermit Kingdom" for nothing. For the most part, the natives were happy enough to have little to no communication to the world. They sent a token tribute to the Mandarin...and that was it.
If the foreign dogs wanted to sit on Gangwa Island for the rest of their lives....so be it.
In 1870, the French and Russians were joined by another power. An American vessel called the William Tecumseh Sherman arrived to "open diplomatic relations". By happenstance, a week later four Japanese ships arrived with the same intent. It had been less than two decades prior that Japan had been forcibly opened by the Americans in the same manner as was being attempted upon the Joseons.
The Joseons, though, simply.....ignored.....the aliens and went about their business. None of the foreign powers possessed the resources to sail up the river to the Capital....or the authorization to so directly conquer it.
Seeing a sudden plethora of competitors would lead each of the assorted foreigner powers to dispatch a request for aid from home to accomplish that very fact. In the meantime, the commanding officers on the scene would remain quite peacefully engaged and even discuss among themselves of the potential combining their strength should none of the national leaders approve the resources to seize the Joseon Kingdom.....errrr......."open the Joseon Kingdom to trade".
That the Joseon Kingdom HAD little in the way of resources TO trade was perhaps immaterial. Conquest was the order of the century and the Joseons were not to be an exception if these sailors and soldiers had their way.
November, 1870
Washington
William Seward would review the election results from the mid-term election. It was a mixed bag. The Republicans lost 12 Congressional seats and 4 Senate seats. Given the massive majority, these losses would be acceptable to the President who would command 66% of the House and 70% of the Senate.
Even if all the "Confederate States" were readmitted to the Union today and the Democrats swept every seat, the Republicans would remain in the majority.
And these States would not be readmitted for a LONG, LONG time if their own actions were an indicator.
As it so happened, Seward had created a new Cabinet position intended to administer the former Confederate states. It would be the former Senator of Washington, Frederick Douglass (one of his sons would succeed him in the Senate).
London, Paris, Moscow
After months of negotiations, the British Foreign Secretary, acting in conjunction with the Cabinet and the Queen, would refuse to raise the blockade of the Suez. They did not need to invade Egypt....only halt any further transport.
This seemed to make little to no sense as the Russians, the actual country in conflict with Britain, were not shipping any troops or material through the Suez which could possibly affect their conflict with the British Raj in Afghanistan.
The British were only harming France, which needed the Suez badly to reinforce their forces in Indochina.
As the Russian and French alliance had effectively fallen apart over the past few years, it would seem that there was plenty of room for compromise. This should have been quite straightforward to seasoned diplomats....but this would be one of the occasions in which the ill-tempered correspondence between crowned heads would throw oil on the fire.
If the British did not withdraw the blockade by January 1st, France would consider this an act of war. The Russian Ambassador was willing to sign an alliance with France again. The British had demanded Russia withdraw from Afghanistan. The Czar was not inclined to do so. Indeed, the ONLY reason the Russians had entered Afghanistan was to keep the British FROM occupying it.
In truth, the Czar STILL was not (and never had been) interested in invading India no matter the paranoia in Britain about the matter.
Knowing that the continued possession of India was critical to the British Empire's continued existence, the Queen's government was willing to do ANYTHING to preserve it.
With the superiority of the Navy becoming more apparent, the British were willing to force the matter once more. The Royal Navy could blockade the Suez, blockade St. Petersburg, blockade the Dardanelles and do anything they saw fit.
By 1870, the British possessed a full 20 modern ironclads with another eight due for launch in the next two years. The newest were 4 of the Audacious-Class (central battery ironclads) - the Audacious, Invincible, Iron Duke and Vanguard) and the slightly larger Swiftsure, Triumph and Sultan.
The French were down to 12 functional ones....which were largely inferior to these most modern of British ships.
The Russians had nearly two dozen river Monitors but relatively few heavy ocean-going ships. Like the French, most of these were questionable in comparison to the British vessels. The Russians HAD, though, the first two ships of an ocean-going turret vessels the first of their kind not produced in America (the British had built one but it capsized to much embarrassment).
Worse, the British were only a year or two away from launching the first of their "Devastation" class vessels, ones expected to be superior to anything afloat.
The French and Russians were forming the opinion that victory over Britain at sea in the future would not just be difficult, but practically impossible. Later historians would debate if this was the truly motivation for the French and Russian actions in 1870 and 1871.
Afghanistan
The Emir could see the Raj forces retreating....but had received enough intelligence that this was only for the winter. With the spring, it was said, the British would be back....in even greater force.
Already having to stomach 28,000 Russian heathens in his country, the Emir would have to beg for more.
Washington
William Seward would review the election results from the mid-term election. It was a mixed bag. The Republicans lost 12 Congressional seats and 4 Senate seats. Given the massive majority, these losses would be acceptable to the President who would command 66% of the House and 70% of the Senate.
Even if all the "Confederate States" were readmitted to the Union today and the Democrats swept every seat, the Republicans would remain in the majority.
And these States would not be readmitted for a LONG, LONG time if their own actions were an indicator.
As it so happened, Seward had created a new Cabinet position intended to administer the former Confederate states. It would be the former Senator of Washington, Frederick Douglass (one of his sons would succeed him in the Senate).
London, Paris, Moscow
After months of negotiations, the British Foreign Secretary, acting in conjunction with the Cabinet and the Queen, would refuse to raise the blockade of the Suez. They did not need to invade Egypt....only halt any further transport.
This seemed to make little to no sense as the Russians, the actual country in conflict with Britain, were not shipping any troops or material through the Suez which could possibly affect their conflict with the British Raj in Afghanistan.
The British were only harming France, which needed the Suez badly to reinforce their forces in Indochina.
As the Russian and French alliance had effectively fallen apart over the past few years, it would seem that there was plenty of room for compromise. This should have been quite straightforward to seasoned diplomats....but this would be one of the occasions in which the ill-tempered correspondence between crowned heads would throw oil on the fire.
If the British did not withdraw the blockade by January 1st, France would consider this an act of war. The Russian Ambassador was willing to sign an alliance with France again. The British had demanded Russia withdraw from Afghanistan. The Czar was not inclined to do so. Indeed, the ONLY reason the Russians had entered Afghanistan was to keep the British FROM occupying it.
In truth, the Czar STILL was not (and never had been) interested in invading India no matter the paranoia in Britain about the matter.
Knowing that the continued possession of India was critical to the British Empire's continued existence, the Queen's government was willing to do ANYTHING to preserve it.
With the superiority of the Navy becoming more apparent, the British were willing to force the matter once more. The Royal Navy could blockade the Suez, blockade St. Petersburg, blockade the Dardanelles and do anything they saw fit.
By 1870, the British possessed a full 20 modern ironclads with another eight due for launch in the next two years. The newest were 4 of the Audacious-Class (central battery ironclads) - the Audacious, Invincible, Iron Duke and Vanguard) and the slightly larger Swiftsure, Triumph and Sultan.
The French were down to 12 functional ones....which were largely inferior to these most modern of British ships.
The Russians had nearly two dozen river Monitors but relatively few heavy ocean-going ships. Like the French, most of these were questionable in comparison to the British vessels. The Russians HAD, though, the first two ships of an ocean-going turret vessels the first of their kind not produced in America (the British had built one but it capsized to much embarrassment).
Worse, the British were only a year or two away from launching the first of their "Devastation" class vessels, ones expected to be superior to anything afloat.
The French and Russians were forming the opinion that victory over Britain at sea in the future would not just be difficult, but practically impossible. Later historians would debate if this was the truly motivation for the French and Russian actions in 1870 and 1871.
Afghanistan
The Emir could see the Raj forces retreating....but had received enough intelligence that this was only for the winter. With the spring, it was said, the British would be back....in even greater force.
Already having to stomach 28,000 Russian heathens in his country, the Emir would have to beg for more.